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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25778026">Morning After</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SandyRoses/pseuds/SandyRoses'>SandyRoses</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>SEVENTEEN (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aftercare, Aged-Up Character(s), But it's not very important, Coups is a SIMP, Editor Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups, Established Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Yoon Jeonghan, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff and Smut, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, JeongCheol are rich, Joshua has a cat, Long, M/M, Model Yoon Jeonghan, No Angst, One Night Stand Turned Lover, Please validate me i worked hard on this, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Seungcheol gets a nose bleed at one point, Softness, Strangers to Lovers, This is 60+ pages, This is unbeta'd and barely edited don't @ me, Threesome - M/M/M, Vaguely religious undertones during the smut parts, Writer Hong Jisoo | Joshua, idk man, it's not super graphic tho, poetic?</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 07:22:48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>24,599</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25778026</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SandyRoses/pseuds/SandyRoses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Jeonghan and Seungcheol have been looking for a third for a while now, and they might just find what they're looking for in Joshua Hong, an American writer whose book Seungcheol coincidentally happens to be editing.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Hong Jisoo | Joshua/Yoon Jeonghan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>362</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Morning After</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Aka the fic where my inner josh simp popped out and i projected it onto Seungcheol bc he's a joshua simp too and none of you can change my mind<br/>aka cheol simps REALLY hard and there are slightly religious overtones bc I couldn't help myself and han's a brat but what else is new and i tried to be poetic but it didn't work but oh well u guys asked for it so here u go 60+ pages of my tenderhorny bullshit at it again<br/>i hope this makes up for Seven Days lmao</p><p>and ofc- HAPPY BIRTHDAY SEUNGCHEOL AKA BEST LEADER BOY AKA THE LIGHT OF MY LIFE I LOVE YOU SO MUCH</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was unusual for Seungcheol to wake up first. Normally, Jeonghan was always gently nudging him awake to go to work, or just to spend some time talking together, but even before opening his eyes Seungcheol could tell something was a little off. The room around him was dimly-lit with mid-morning sunlight, and the body in his arms...wasn’t Jeonghan. Just as slender, just the same height, but not quite lithe enough, a little too muscular.</p><p>Peeling his heavy eyelids open, Seungcheol glanced down at the person he was holding tight to his chest and blinked, eyes falling upon one of the prettiest faces he had ever seen in his life, on par with Jeonghan. Plump lips, slightly parted but quiet, cattishly-curved eyes, and a cute button nose, complimented by a pair of soft cheeks and fluffy silver hair, tucked in close like he belonged in bed between Seungcheol and Jeonghan, who, on second glance, was sleeping right behind this mysterious pretty boy, face buried in the back of his neck.</p><p>It came back to Seungcheol in increments, flashes of images: the dim purple lighting of Wonwoo’s bar, Jeonghan’s mischievous smile, the shine of florescent light on silver hair turned neon white. A shirt with the top three buttons undone, revealing teasing hints of a toned, tanned chest, but delicate collar bones, an elegant neck, pretty and strong amongst the crowd on the floor, eyes half-lidded, alluring, his dichotomy interesting. Jeonghan reached him first, as always, fleeting memories of hands on hips, him reaching the pretty boy next, breathing in the scent of his cologne, like lavender and honeysuckle, warm, sweet, lingering on Seungcheol’s palate.</p><p>Lips on his, lips on his neck, hands smoothing down his chest to the hem of his pants, Jeonghan’s smile growing ever sharper, always always hunting. It all fuzzed together into heat and the sounds of pleasure, blurring comfortably in Seungcheol’s head, and he sighed, closing his eyes again, allowing himself to soak up the lazy comfort of sleeping in on a Saturday morning.</p><p>He didn’t know when, but a while later, Jeonghan finally stirred, groaning softly in the back of his throat and pushing closer to the still-sleeping man between them, who Seungcheol had opened his eyes again to admire. He really was quite beautiful, and it was a shame he was drunk last night, shame that the room was dark. He should have taken a second longer, a lot more seconds longer, to simply sit and gaze in awe at the man’s beauty. Surely Jeonghan would have liked to do the same; he was always admiring pretty things. It was what had clued them in to the man in the first place as Jeonghan’s sharp eyes roamed the bar, tapping Seungcheol’s arm and nodding into the crowd.</p><p><em> “Him,” </em> he’d murmured into Seungcheol’s ear, sultry like the music playing over the speakers, honey and liquor in Seungcheol’s head. And Seungcheol, of course, had gone along; Jeonghan’s judgement was never wrong when it came to potential bed partners. And lo and behold, he was once again triumphant in snatching up a gorgeous little kitten who, adorably enough, had barely stirred, moving only to snuggle into Seungcheol’s chest.</p><p>“Morning,” Seungcheol whispered to Jeonghan, who opened his eyes slowly, already looking thoughtful. The three of them were still half naked, pressed tightly together into Seungcheol and Jeonghan’s king-sized bed, but Jeonghan seemed more focused on the wispy hairs at the back of the man’s neck, thinking. Jeonghan was a thinker.</p><p>“Morning,” Jeonghan said eventually, voice low, sleep-rough, tainted with the remnants of all the moaning he’d done last night, bent in half under Seungcheol, hovering over the other man. What had his name been? Seungcheol hadn’t quite caught it amongst the bass thudding in his ears and the adrenaline rush of a possible hook-up. He felt a little guilty for it, especially since the man between them was rightfully eye-catching. Picturesque.</p><p>“Quit a catch, hm?” Jeonghan finally said, a small smile curling his lips, smug, eyes curved into something amused. <em> Impish</em>, Jeonghan’s mother had told him once, had warned him. Seungcheol never minded playing with fire.</p><p>“Yes, yes, you were right,” he sighed, rolling his eyes, looking back down to the man between them. “Did you catch his name?”</p><p>“...No.” It was surprised, and the emotion was echoed in the lift of Jeonghan’s eyebrows. Usually he liked having a name to tease, to moan, to coax out of someone’s lips. Seungcheol liked knowing just for the sake of knowing; it was odd for them to both be too focused to care, but it wasn’t like it had never happened before.</p><p>Well, whatever the man’s name was, Seungcheol was distracted from it by said man squirming a little, tucking his head against Seungcheol’s chest, head resting on his bicep, throwing an arm and a leg over him like a particularly cuddly octopus. He was warm, bare skin pressed to bare skin, and Seungcheol smiled, unnaturally fond, daring to pet the man’s hair.</p><p>“Now, now, don’t get too attached,” Jeonghan warned, but he looked like he wanted to do the same. <em> Liar</em>, Jeonghan’s sister had told him, warned him. Seungcheol always saw through him anyway. “Let’s kick him out so we can have some breakfast, hm?"</p><p>“Rude,” he shot back, and a subtle shimmer of guilt made him hesitate as he gently nudged the man off of his chest. He barely stirred, and Seungcheol frowned. “...Is he ok? He seems tired.”</p><p>“It’s Saturday and he was probably drinking last night. I don’t know why I didn’t sleep in more,” Jeonghan yawned, shrugging as he sat up, stretching his arms to the ceiling and exposing his chest, dotted with love bites and hickies, selfish claims from Seungcheol’s teeth and tongue, <em> this is mine, he belongs to me. </em></p><p>He looked down at the man in his bed and hummed absently, <em> but perhaps I’m willing to share sometimes. </em></p><p>“Probably. I’ll go make some coffee.”</p><p>“Can you pop in some toast too, hot stuff? I’m gonna take a quick shower.” Seungcheol grunted as he sat up, and despite his words, Jeonghan tucked in the sheets around the man’s shoulders, flattening them down gently before hurrying off to the bathroom, shirt falling off of his shoulders. Seungcheol watched, fondness blooming in his chest as always. <em> Lazy</em>, Jeonghan’s father had told him, warned him. Seungcheol preferred to think of it as opportunistic.</p><p>He sent one last glance down at the sleeping man, and he too was weak, so he adjusted the covers, even though they didn’t need adjusting, and pulled on a loose hoodie, yawning as he walked out into the kitchen, making a mental note to do the laundry later.</p><p>As the smell of freshly-brewed coffee wafted through the house, Jeonghan inevitably wouldn’t be far away, and indeed, within 15 minutes, Seungcheol had a damp and sleepy Jeonghan on his hip, feeding him bits of buttered toast and coaxing him into sipping at his coffee, knowing that despite waking up earlier, it took longer for Jeonghan to actually...wake up. It was cute.</p><p>“Good night last night, hm?” Jeonghan sighed, settling more comfortably against him. “You think he’s still sleeping? If he is, he better start paying rent.”</p><p>“Han, we’re rich,” Seungcheol pointed out, eyes glancing over their comfortably large kitchen. “And knowing you, you’d probably start spoiling him instead. But yes. Good night last night. Very good.” He wasn’t lying, at least. For his muscular stature the man was surprisingly submissive, easy to control, happy to let go. It had been fun to coax all sorts of pretty noises from him, and it almost made Seungcheol disappointed to think he was a one night stand, nothing more.</p><p>But that was the arrangement. One night stands, nothing else, until they found a suitable third. Jeonghan had brought it up a couple years ago, casually suggesting it during a movie night, and Seungcheol grew on the idea, until his daydreams were mushy and sappy with a third to their duo, another person to love and shower with adoration. He had always loved giving.</p><p>But as of late, they hadn’t been trying as hard to look for another person; the summer heat made them lazy, and Seungcheol was mostly content with their occasional hook-ups, so long as he didn’t give himself the chance to take a second look.</p><p>“...I guess you’re right. Now, what are we going to do today? I still want to go see Minghao to try on his summer collection. You know he needs models,” Jeonghan mused, giving Seungcheol one of his typical charming smiles, and Seungcheol hummed, rubbing Jeonghan’s hip gently.</p><p>“You have always looked great in summer wear. Very delectable. Is Jun going to model with you too?”</p><p>“You know he is. Mingyu too, but he’s probably going to do more photography work. I heard he got a job at one of those high-end lifestyle magazines. I took him out for samgyeopsal to congratulate him, but I’m sure Wonwoo did me one better.” Jeonghan winked, salacious but in good intention, and Seungcheol snorted, leaving a light kiss on Jeonghan’s temple.</p><p>“You spoil all your children. Didn’t you just give Hoonie those Gucci slides he mentioned once because you were bored?”</p><p>“Maybe.”</p><p>“Such a sugar daddy.”</p><p>“Pfft. You’re my sugar daddy. I practically drained you dry when we were in college,” Jeonghan chuckled, which wasn’t wrong. Seungcheol had grown up ridiculously wealthy, Jeonghan less so, but since Seungcheol’s older brother was the one who was going to inherit the family business, he had lived a fairly restriction-free life, and besides, Jeonghan did his part too as a well-known model. Seungcheol merely worked as a manager for a large publishing company, and he still enjoyed editing the odd book or two in his spare time.</p><p>“I’m glad it was you, though. You certainly caught my eye. I was flattered you chose me over...oh, I don’t know, someone like Johnny Suh? He was pretty damn handsome. Still is, when I see him on the front page of Seoul Editorial,” Seungcheol pointed out, and Jeonghan shrugged.</p><p>“He <em> was </em> hot, but I think he had a boyfriend already. Fiance, now. Plus, you were dumb and cute and that’s my ultimate weakness.”</p><p>“...You like dumb and cute people so you can exploit them.”</p><p>“Exactly! Aigoo, my Cheolie’s getting so smart!” Jeonghan cooed, pinching his cheek before leaning in to give him a swift kiss. “Perhaps our time together is finally running out. Are you seeing through all my tricks?”</p><p>“We’ve been together for 8 years, Han, but I could never fully understand you. You’re just too much of an enigma. And expensive enigma,” Seungcheol teased back, and Jeonghan’s nose scrunched up in mock offense, gasping dramatically. Dramatic, as always, lovingly sharp. A study in contrasts, a balance between being clever and being motherly, something Seungcheol knew he would spend his whole life trying to piece together. A puzzle with simply too many pieces.</p><p>They fell silent when they heard the front door open and close gently, and Jeonghan’s expression fell back into something contemplative. “...Guess he finally woke up. That’s good to know. Didn’t think he would, honestly.”</p><p>“You’re so morbid.”</p><p>“Yep! Now, freshen up, darling, you’re coming with me to Hao Hao’s place and you’re gonna help model with me.”</p><p>...Seungcheol knew he didn’t have a choice. With Jeonghan, it was always better to comply; it made things so much easier. Still, it made him smile, and he set his empty mug in the sink with a nod and a sigh, heading to the shower to “freshen up” as Jeonghan put it. It was always a good idea to show up neat; it would, at the very least, put him in Minghao’s good graces. Which was a good place to be.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>“Well didn’t you have a fun night last night.” Sharp, lilting tones, the classic sound of Minghao’s twangy voice, colored with something close to amused disapproval as he walked circles around a shirtless Jeonghan, holding several articles of clothing. Seungcheol snorted quietly to himself, eyeing the lovely purple flowers dotting Jeonghan’s body, and knew that his own skin bore the same marks. He wondered if the man in their bed looked at himself in the mirror and noticed the marks too.</p><p>“Sorry, Hao, I kinda forgot that I was supposed to meet you today,” Jeonghan offered apologetically, sounding unexpectedly genuine. Minghao rolled his eyes, waving it off, but Jun and Mingyu, standing nearby, snickered.</p><p>“So who was the lucky guy, hyung?” Jun cooed, and Seungcheol shrugged honestly.</p><p>“Dunno. I don’t think he ever told us his name. He was cute though, really cute,” he admitted, and Jun and Mingyu exchanged a look, eyebrow raised, judgemental but more suspicious.</p><p>“...That’s kinda weird,” Jun said, but it was Jeonghan’s turn to shrug, pulling on a thin, floral-patterned shirt from Minghao’s pile, so thin it was almost sheer, draping loosely over his body like a blouse, complimenting his newly-dyed auburn hair, hanging short around his ears.</p><p>“I mean, nothing was gone when he left, and he was so good in bed, so we don’t mind.” Unabashed, Seungcheol thought to himself. Shame was not a word in Jeonghan’s vocabulary, and Seungcheol loved that about him.</p><p>Minghao didn’t seem to think with the same fondness; he snorted, tugging at the shirt. “Wrong color; take it off. Also, you two are so weird. You’ve been saying you want a third for at least three years now and yet you still haven’t got one. I’m not saying you should like...act on that, but...you should act on that.”</p><p>“Timing matters, Hao,” Jeonghan huffed, pulling on a different shirt, a silky off-white, “it’s important for the mood!”</p><p>“You’re pushing thirty, hyungs, if you wanna settle down with someone, stop making the dating gap so intimidating,” Minghao muttered, several pins in his mouth as he walked around, sticking them into places on the white shirt.</p><p>“Hao has a point,” Jun piped up unexpectedly, twirling one of the strings of his hoodie. “Like, if I knew a couple had been dating for 8 years before I joined, I’d be a little nervous.”</p><p>“Well, plenty of time to catch up, right?” Seungcheol hummed, but neither Jun nor Minghao answered, and Mingyu only shrugged.</p><p>“I mean, I feel like they kinda have a point, but at the same time there are always some perfect catches out there. Take Wonwoo hyung for example. Wonwoo’s perfect. Or, he’s not, but he’s perfect for me. Anyway, I love Wonwoo, so I guess what I’m saying is that if you really find someone you love them it shouldn’t matter so much. But yeah, I agree that you should kinda hurry up. Are you sure you wanna be having one night stands forever?”</p><p>He had a point, Seungcheol knew. Time was always passing, sometimes without them noticing, and he knew that both he and Jeonghan genuinely wanted a third person in their relationship, and they couldn’t accomplish that through what they were currently doing. So he and Jeonghan stayed silent.</p><p>Then Minghao grunted, gesturing vaguely in Mingyu and Jun’s direction. “Pins,” he demanded, and the conversation was over.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Once they had gotten some good photos, walking out to parks and to the Han river for some more natural pictures, Seungcheol and Jeonghan had bid Minghao, Jun, and Mingyu goodbye, promising to meet up later for the rest of the shoot. Jeonghan was happy as he always was after trying on new clothes, and Seungcheol was just happy to see Jeonghan happy.</p><p>“We should go get something to eat before we go home,” he suggested and Jeonghan nodded with a soft hum, looking lost in thought, off in his own world. It wouldn’t work to pry; like their friend Hansol, it was just easier to wait for Jeonghan to say something than to try and force it out of him.</p><p>“...Maybe they’re right,” Jeonghan finally said, soft, eyes a million miles away. It was odd, for him to admit that. Jeonghan didn’t like being vulnerable, being open. Even his soft moments were usually carefully controlled, so as not to slip, so as not to reveal too much of himself. Seungcheol knew he more than made up for it; he had always been told he wore his heart on his sleeve.</p><p>Still, he was inclined to agree; he nodded once, humming softly. Unbidden, thoughts of well-tanned skin and prettily curved eyes flashed through his mind, and he sighed, linking his and Jeonghan’s arms together. “Well, shall we dust off our flirting skills? See if we can land us a pretty boy to be our third?” he asked, hoping to be playful, to ease the light of uncertainty flickering dimly in Jeonghan’s eyes. He never liked seeing Jeonghan uncertain. It just wasn’t right.</p><p>“...That would be fun.” Jeonghan laid his head on Seungcheol’s shoulder, giving him a small smile. “It would be interesting, certainly. I remember the first time you tried flirting with me. You were so awkward, and it was so cute; I almost wish I had recorded it.”</p><p>“Don’t mock me!”</p><p>“I’m not mocking you! I’m just saying you were cute,” Jeonghan laughed, looking much more at ease, and Seungcheol rolled his eyes. So playful, his boyfriend, always looking for opportunities to tease. It was his way of showing love, Seungcheol knew, but it didn’t stop him from gently pinching Jeonghan’s hip in retaliation.</p><p>“Cruel,” he mumbled, and Jeonghan kissed his shoulder lightly.</p><p>“Cute,” he corrected, and Seungcheol didn’t have the heart to say otherwise. If he did, he knew he would end up siding with Jeonghan eventually anyway. He was always so skilled at getting his way, through fleeting touches and sharp smiles; Jeonghan could put the world on its knees with ease.</p><p>“Let’s go out tomorrow. On a date, just you and me. See if your flirting skills are up to the test,” Jeonghan purred, running a hand down his arm, and Seungcheol snorted.</p><p>“Whatever you say, Han.”</p><p>“That’s what I like to hear.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Seeing Jeonghan in date attire had always been one of Seungcheol’s favorite things, and watching him change into said attire was even better. Watching Jeonghan hum to himself as he slipped into a loose, flowy purple blouse and a pair of tight black jeans, adjusting his hair in the mirror hanging on the closet door, made Seungcheol smile without thinking, dopey and fond.</p><p>“You look wonderful,” he said, honesty in every word, and Jeonghan smiled at him through the mirror, looking him up and down, predatory. It was familiar, if nothing else.</p><p>“Speak for yourself, handsome. You ready?” Seungcheol nodded, looking down at his own simple dress shirt, a soft, silky blue. Jeonghan’s smile sharpened as he turned back to his own reflection, tracing his fingers along the bare column of his neck. “Hand me a necklace, won’t you?”</p><p>“Which one?”</p><p>“Surprise me.” Nodding again, Seungcheol stood up to rifle through Jeonghan’s extensive jewelry drawer, smiling down at the glinting items before him. Jeonghan had always had an eye for beautiful things, and wasn’t above indulging in himself. It was something Seungcheol admired about him, and he was always happy to shower Jeonghan in whatever he asked for.</p><p>Glancing over at the lavender purple of Jeonghan’s blouse, Seungcheol picked up a short silver necklace, a rose dangling from the end, a small diamond set right in the middle, and walked over to stand behind Jeonghan, holding up the necklace against his throat. “Pretty?”</p><p>“Mhm. I like it,” Jeonghan hummed, so Seungcheol quickly secured the clasp around his neck, leaving a gentle kiss to the back of Jeonghan’s neck before stepping away.</p><p>“Shall we go?” Again, Jeonghan hummed, and Seungcheol took his hand as they left the apartment, eager to get to the restaurant Wonwoo had suggested to them a while ago. They hadn’t really taken the opportunity to really talk about adding another person to their relationship, and this seemed as good a time as any. Timing was important with Jeonghan; it could determine the balance between Jeonghan clamming up and deflecting or him genuinely opening up to have a decent conversation about something big like their relationship.</p><p>A well-dressed waiter took them to their table, and as they settled down across from each other, Jeonghan sent him a narrow-eyed smile, one of his most typical ones. It was a smile that could have meant a lot of things; deciphering Jeonghan’s subtle shifts in facial expressions could have been a language all on its own, one Seungcheol was fluent in.</p><p>“You’re waiting for me to say something,” he translated, and Jeonghan’s lips twitched up. Pride, a bit of amusement.</p><p>“How shrewd. I know we didn’t go on this date just to test out your flirting skills, did we.” It wasn’t a question. Jeonghan didn’t really <em> do </em> questions, working his tone to seem more like statements, like he already knew the answer.</p><p>But Seungcheol nodded anyway, complacent, resigned to Jeonghan’s games. It was always better to treat his statements like questions anyway. “What should we do?”</p><p>It was, in all respects, a rather simple question. A prompt for a plan, for a lead, a simple want for some string to follow. Deceptively simple, Seungcheol knew; there were lots of different ways Jeonghan could answer that, and, knowing Jeonghan, who wouldn’t choose the path Seungcheol was looking for.</p><p>“Well, how about we order? We’re in a restaurant, after all.” As expected. It made Seungcheol smile faintly; Jeonghan was as familiar as ever with his garden-path sentences and complicated words, never quite giving the answer Seungcheol wanted.</p><p>They didn’t exchange more than a few words as they decided, but they didn’t need to. After so many years, they could just exist with each other without feeling the need to fill the empty space with unnecessary words. It was something Seungcheol liked; he had never been all that good at small talk, and Jeonghan despised it, preferring to get straight to the point. It made him an excellent foul-weather friend, when all Seungcheol wanted to do was lie around with his head in Jeonghan’s lap and doze off peacefully.</p><p>“He was cute,” Jeonghan finally said, layers upon layers of meaning hidden in those three words, but Seungcheol knew immediately who Jeonghan was talking about and what he was insinuating.</p><p>“He was,” he agreed carefully, not wanting to give himself any sense of false hope. They knew nothing about the pretty man who had shared their bed that one night. They didn’t know where he worked, what he was like, they didn’t even know his name. Finding him again would be nigh impossible, and even if they did, there was no telling he’d be up for a proper relationship instead of just a one-night stand.</p><p>Aish, the complexity of human nature. So complicated.</p><p>Again, they were silent for a while, waiting for their food to be brought to them, and Seungcheol finally sighed, reaching out to tap Jeonghan’s hand. “We both want this, right? We both want a third person to be with us?” Jeonghan could have gotten his point even if he only used a couple words, but sometimes Seungcheol liked being as specific as possible, to counter Jeonghan’s floaty ambiguous-ness, his cryptic words filled with double meanings. He just wanted to be sure.</p><p>“...Yes. I want that,” Jeonghan said quietly, nodding, looking right into his eyes. That was good; Jeonghan disliked eye contact, so them meeting gazes for more than two seconds meant he was serious, which was what Seungcheol wanted. He didn’t want to jump into this if both of them didn’t fully want it.</p><p>“Me too.” He squeezed Jeonghan’s hand gently, and Jeonghan smiled, softer, more accommodating, a little less sharp than normal. Seungcheol smiled back, pulling back just enough to rest his elbow on the table, glancing around to admire the elegant silver accents of the restaurant around them, full of rich people talking quietly, tiredness written into the lines around their eyes, not actually paying attention to their partners. So despondent.</p><p>“We could always go back to the bar. Plenty of cute people,” he offered, and Jeonghan’s nose scrunched up slightly, a silent disagreement. “...Well what do you have in mind?”</p><p>Jeonghan was silent for a while, looking at his glass of water, tracing aimless patterns into the condensation with his fingertip, eyes distant. Seungcheol knew better than to think Jeonghan was ignoring him; Jeonghan was always listening, but sometimes he just preferred to think things over in his head, rather than out loud. And interrupting him to ask again would only make Jeonghan huff at him, so Seungcheol stayed silent, just...watching. Besides, Jeonghan’s face was always a pretty thing to look at.</p><p>“...I don’t know,” Jeonghan finally said, shrugging a bit. That was new. Jeonghan always knew what to do.</p><p>But, Seungcheol supposed he didn’t really know what to do either. There was no guidebook for this, no manual, no set of directions to add a third person to their relationship. They were walking blind and they both knew it, holding each other’s hands while also reaching out for another. It was an odd sensation, not quite helplessness, but it made Seungcheol frown anyway. He didn’t like not knowing what to do, and neither did Jeonghan.</p><p>“Well, we could always go around, being promiscuous and asking if any pretty men want to date us,” Jeonghan sighed, a hint of a tired smile around his eyes as he leaned a little closer. “We might even be able to find us a sugar baby. We’re 28; it could work…”</p><p>“I mean…” Seungcheol shrugged, letting it trail off, and Jeonghan laughed, shaking his head. That was good; that meant he was relaxing.</p><p>“You’re ridiculous.”</p><p>“That’s just the pot calling the kettle black; you’re worse than me.”</p><p>Jeonghan rolled his eyes, but it was fond, a small smile lingering on his lips, which was good enough for Seungcheol. As long as Jeonghan was giving him those soft, genuine smiles, then everything was going to be alright.</p><p>“I mean, if we get desperate, we could always convince a one-night stand to stay,” Jeonghan mumbled, sounding a touch more subdued, and Seungcheol laughed a slightly strained laugh.</p><p>“We could. I make a mean japchae.”</p><p>“Well, at least you can cook.”</p><p>“Right, you almost burned down the kitchen last time.”</p><p>“But I didn’t, and that’s what matters,” Jeonghan snorted, waving a hand. “And there’s our food. Isn’t this why we always order out instead of actually making things?”</p><p>As the busser set down their plates with a benign smile, offering wine that they both declined, Seungcheol took a chance to look at Jeonghan, really look at him. He was beautiful, as always, and Seungcheol wondered what he’d done to deserve such an amazing man for his boyfriend.</p><p>“Cheol,” Jeonghan said unexpectedly, breaking Seungcheol from his adoring thoughts, and though Jeonghan wouldn’t look at him, Seungcheol hummed anyway, curious at the tone of Jeonghan’s voice. “What if we don’t find a third?”</p><p>Seungcheol blinked. Uncertainty was unfitting of Jeonghan, and Seungcheol wanted to take his hand and soothe any fears he ever had, make sure he never frowned again.</p><p>But it didn’t work like that, so Seungcheol settled for bobbing his head a couple times, thinking carefully over his words and hoping they would be the right ones. “Then...I would be happy to love you for the rest of my life. You are enough for me, and you always will be.”</p><p>Jeonghan hummed softly, flashing him a small, grateful smile, and that was enough for Seungcheol, who smiled back, always glad to be of reassurance.</p><p>And if he was plagued with the same worries Jeonghan had voiced for the rest of their date, then Jeonghan didn’t have to know that.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Seungcheol didn’t normally take clients. It wasn’t that he disliked working, but he always felt too busy, so when he did take clients, they had to have impressed him. Or he just had to be particularly bored with a lot of free time on his hands. He had done a lot of editing work when he was younger, and had always enjoyed watching a story clean up and come together, working together with the author to make something bigger and better than they could have ever imagined.</p><p>So, faced with an inner turmoil that he didn’t want to face right at that moment, he decided to pick up a pen, choose a person, and distract himself for a while. Jeonghan was out for the day, something about modelling and being picky about location, so Seungcheol had the house to himself for a while, and he had always been good at keeping himself busy.</p><p>As if reading his mind, his work phone rang, and he picked it up with a hum, curious. “Hello?”</p><p>“Seungcheol hyung?” He smiled at hearing Seokmin’s voice, humming acknowledgement. Seokmin was one of the people who worked under him, and a good friend of his and Jeonghan’s. “So, I don’t know if you’re busy right now or not, but we got a new author looking for someone to help him edit and I skimmed the draft and I think you’d really enjoy it. It’s very interesting,” Seokmin said excitedly, and the plastic-y sound of fingers hitting a keyboard filled the speaker. “Want me to send it to you?”</p><p>“As a matter of fact, I was just looking for something to do,” Seungcheol chuckled, heading over to his office. “Who’s the author? What’re they like?”</p><p>“Uh...not super sure, honestly. He sent an email asking for someone to help him edit; the usual. I haven’t actually met him in person, but if you accept, then I can work out a day for the both of you. His name’s Joshua Hong.”</p><p>“Joshua? That’s an American name,” Seungcheol pointed out curiously, and Seokmin made a noise of agreement.</p><p>“I know, I thought it was odd too, but his email was very polite and well-spoken. I’d like to think he’s a good person, but I suppose you don’t know until you’ve met him. Anyway, if you’re busy right now, I can send the script off to Taemin-”</p><p>“No, no, I’ll take it. Gimme a shakedown.” Plopping down at his desk, Seungcheol turned on his computer, setting his phone down and putting it on speaker.</p><p>“Oh, ok! The story doesn’t have a name yet, but the working title is pretty funny, according to Hansol. It’s in English, so I don’t know what it says. The first draft is completely finished, but it’s a fictional-fantasy type thing, centered around a group of people who travel around in the eye of this huge storm that’s constantly tearing things up, and I just barely skimmed the actual story but it seems pretty cool first glance. I know you like fantasy, so I think you’ll enjoy it. I just sent it to you.”</p><p>“Sweet. Anyway, make sure to tell Chris to take a break, and don’t forget to water the dahlias for Dahyun; she’s out this week. And if you’re up for it, contact Hyungwon and ask him if he needs help on that one weird dissertation he got. Who hires a <em> book editor </em>for a college dissertation? And why did Hyungwon take it?” </p><p>“Your guess is as good as mine, boss, but got it! I’m gonna hang up now, but say hello to Hannie hyung for me!” Seokmin said cheerfully, and Seungcheol smiled. So bright, that Seokmin.</p><p>“Got it.”</p><p>As Seokmin hung up, Seungcheol pulled up the email the younger had sent him, which contained a link to the story that had been sent in. Indeed, the title was in English, but a small note in Korean off to the side told him it was just a working title, and thankfully the rest of the story was in Korean as well. Apparently the work was finished, and just needed to be edited and updated before being published, which made it easier on Seungcheol; he hated nagging his authors to write; it felt so mean.</p><p>But he was also glad it was finished because it gave him the rare opportunity to read an entire piece of writing all in one sitting, which he often did, much to the bemusement of his friends. He couldn’t help it; he stayed up well past midnight fairly often to finish books he’d started, even if they were super long, and even Jeonghan had given up trying to coax him to bed, instead laying down in his lap and snoozing there just to be petty. Seungcheol had learned how to read with one hand and pet Jeonghan’s hair with the other, so it wasn’t as though he was <em> completely </em> ignoring his boyfriend.</p><p>And this Hong author was...pretty good, actually. Seungcheol, deep down, had always loved fantasy books, anything vaguely whimsical and magical; his inner child delighted in seeing new worlds, and whoever this Joshua guy was, he’d done it right. The story was about a group of wandering nomads, who lived in the eye of a great storm and followed it around, safe from any outsiders, but one day, the storm dissipated, much to everyone else’s confusion and fear, and the book was spent trying to figure out what had happened and how to bring the storm back.</p><p>By the time Seungcheol was halfway through the manuscript, having made a couple notes when he found errors or things that could be changed to sound better, it was almost 5 in the afternoon, and he’d been at it since before 10 am. He loved reading, sure, but he was, admittedly, a slow reader. Still, the book was pretty long, so he felt he had some justification.</p><p>He sensed it before it felt it— a dainty hand coming to rest upon his shoulder, the touch light, nonthreatening, simply an alert, <em> I am here, how are you doing? </em> Jeonghan’s presence at his back was as familiar as the feeling of a pen in his hands. “Hello, darling,” he hummed, and the hand on his shoulder squeezed gently.</p><p>“You look absorbed,” Jeonghan observed, a little amused, a hidden question in the casual tone. Seungcheol hummed, eyes scanning the page, still looking for a good stopping point.</p><p>“New manuscript came through; I took it because I was bored and it turns out it’s really pretty good,” he explained, and the hand on his shoulder rubbed gently, a simple touch, assurance. A reminder that Jeonghan was there and listening to his words. Acknowledgement of the subject.</p><p>“Do you think I would like it? Some of the stuff Seokmin sends me for fun is...rather terrible,” Jeonghan chuckled, and Seungcheol smiled a bit.</p><p>“Well, that’s why editors like me exist. We take the big, bad words and make them all pretty. Or, we tell the authors how to make them all pretty, and we sit back and watch and keep telling them what they’re doing wrong until it looks presentable to be given to the public.” Jeonghan rolled his eyes, but there was a smile lingering around his lips, soft, accommodating to Seungcheol’s antics, just as Seungcheol was to his.</p><p>“Of course, how could I forget. Does this read spark your fancy? I don’t recall you liking the last few ones you got,” Jeonghan hummed, moving to wrap both arms around Seungcheol’s shoulders, chin on his head, a blanketing presence.</p><p>“I do like it, more than I thought I would. The author, Joshua Hong, he’s got some wild imagery in this.”</p><p>“Joshua? That’s English, isn’t it? American.” Jeonghan sounded surprised, just a touch, which was new. Jeonghan wasn’t surprised by a whole lot.</p><p>“Yeah, I noticed that too. Well, whoever he is, he writes pretty damn well, and this is actually the finished first draft, so at least I don’t have to nag him to finish it,” Seungcheol said cheerfully, and Jeonghan patted his chest gently, yawning into his hair. “Tired, love?”</p><p>“A little. It was hot today, and being in the heat always makes me sleepy. Do you want anything to eat? Knowing you, you probably haven’t touched anything remotely edible since you started working.”</p><p>“Not true! I had a granola bar earlier!”</p><p>Jeonghan snorted, rolling his eyes, always so superior. “Of course. I’ll order from that Chinese place we both love. The usual?” Seungcheol could only nod; he <em> was </em> getting pretty hungry, and agreeing with Jeonghan was always so much easier.</p><p>But as he closed his laptop, his thoughts lingered on the book and its mysterious American author. He kind of wanted to meet this Joshua Hong, see what he was like.</p><p>The promise of food put it out of his mind, and he hurried at Jeonghan’s call. Making Jeonghan wait wasn’t usually a good thing.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Over the next couple days, Seungcheol continued reading and making minor edits to the book. Whoever Joshua was, his writing style was interesting, flowy and imaginative with lots of commas, and a tendency to over-explain emotions to the point where Seungcheol got so invested that he could feel his heart pounding during the more action-oriented scenes as if he was there when it happened.</p><p>He liked books like that. It only made him want to meet Joshua more, see if he was as pretty as the words he wrote. Jeonghan had taken to reading over his shoulder while he worked, and Seungcheol, who hated it when Jeonghan read over his shoulder, sent him another copy of the book for his own perusal.</p><p>“I’d wanna read this if I were like, a young, European peasant boy, begging for scraps in the streets while harboring a secret love for literature,” Jeonghan hummed one morning as they were lying in bed, not quite ready to get up. Jeonghan’s reading glasses were perched low on his face, and it was so weirdly specific and yet accurate that Seungcheol could only nod, but Jeonghan didn’t seem fazed, only swiping to get to the next page on his iPad.</p><p>Seungcheol decided to just go with it, and after a couple calls to Seokmin and some other people working under him, he’d settled on a couple dates to check in and see how things were going, arranged a few meetings, jotted down some notes for another script that he might work on, and went through a lot of confusion over Hyungwon’s dissertation. That he was still working on. And not having fun working on. At that point, Seungcheol just told him to let it go and find something else to do for a while so he didn’t explode.</p><p>“Hansollie called me earlier while I was out working,” Jeonghan hummed, after a lull in Seungcheol’s calls. Hansol was one of Jeonghan’s model friends, but he manned a little music studio with their friend Jihoon on the side.</p><p>“Oh? What for?”</p><p>“Said he made a new friend, wanted everybody to meet him. Apparently they’re both American and they both speak English, which is kinda coincidental, isn’t it?”</p><p>That was kind of a funny little coincidence. “What’s his name?” he prompted, rolling over to lay an arm over Jeonghan’s legs, pressing his face into the younger man’s bare thigh, taking a deep inhale of the clean smell of fabric and rose body wash.</p><p>“Dunno; Sollie didn’t say. Said he wanted it to be a surprise or something. I told him I was free tomorrow, since I did all those big deals yesterday,” Jeonghan sighed, setting his iPad aside to lay back down, cuddling into Seungcheol’s chest and batting his eyes prettily. “Don’t I deserve a break, Cheol?”</p><p>“Don’t make me answer that.”</p><p>“Meanie.” Jeonghan flicked his chest, but Seungcheol huffed at him, tucking Jeonghan’s head beneath his chin and holding him tight so he couldn’t escape. Jeonghan just melted into him, and Seungcheol grinned, victorious for once. It always paid to cater to Jeonghan’s love of sleep.</p><p>“I can do tomorrow. Probably,” Seungcheol offered, and Jeonghan hummed, nuzzling closer to him, wiggling an arm under his neck.</p><p>“You better. I heard from Junnie that Sol’s planning to propose sometime soon and I want both of us to be there if he does,” he hummed casually, and Seungcheol snorted.</p><p>“I don’t think Sol would propose at a friendly gathering like that. He’s a romantic.”</p><p>“True. You should propose to me over a bed scattered with rose petals, two nice bottles of wine, and the windows open to a beautiful sunset in a little hotel in Greece. That would be nice.” Jeonghan opened his eyes to smile up at Seungcheol, familiar and fond. They’d skirted the subject of marriage before, but neither of them had quite gotten around to it. They wanted to find a third first.</p><p>“Duly noted. Should I write that down?” he joked, and Jeonghan pinched his side, nose wrinkling, teasingly mocking.</p><p>“Don’t give me cheek. I want to be <em> romanced</em>, Cheol, sweetly and tenderly, like in those dramas you watch, with all those cheesy things and flowers and stuff-”</p><p>“Han, need I remind you on how I ‘<em>romanced’ </em> you with dollar store coffee and those jelly snacks you like when we were in highschool-”</p><p>“But it <em> was </em> really sweet! It was romance in...small forms!”</p><p>“You’re ridiculous.”</p><p>“You love me for it.”</p><p>Seungcheol just wrinkled his nose and smothered Jeonghan closer, rolling half on top of him and eliciting an amusing, slightly muffled squawk of indignance. “Hey! Get off! And not in that way, you pervy bastard!”</p><p>Seungcheol wiggled his eyebrows with a grin, but he rolled off anyway, sitting up with a bounce. “C’mon, let’s go make breakfast. I scheduled a meeting for this afternoon and I’d like to spend the first half of my day doing something I actually enjoy.”</p><p>“Is breakfast something you enjoy?” Jeonghan chuckled, sitting up as well, drawing a soft, gauzy, slightly sheer robe over his shoulders, colored a pale purple. It was one of Seungcheol favorite things to see Jeonghan wearing. It should have looked ostentatious, but somehow it wasn’t, and he smiled unthinkingly, just...admiring Jeonghan, still as smitten as the day they’d met, affection flowing like honey through his veins.</p><p>Jeonghan must have caught him smiling, because he smiled back, reaching out for Seungcheol’s hand, equally as affectionate in subtler ways. “C’mon, love, let’s go eat. Your face is going to get stuck like that if you keep making that expression.”</p><p>“You wouldn’t mind.”</p><p>“No, I wouldn’t.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Tomorrow showed up in shades of dim yellow; it was a lazy, late spring Saturday, and Seungcheol thought Jeonghan looked beautiful in one of his favorite sweaters, unusually soft for a public gathering, tucked neatly into Seungcheol’s side. Seungcheol was happy to hold him there, an arm around his shoulders, occasionally landing a light kiss on his head. The short drive to Hansol’s house was spent with one hand on the wheel and one hand holding Jeonghan’s as the other played with his fingers, oddly quiet.</p><p>“...You alright, love?” he asked quietly, glancing at Jeonghan through the corner of his eye. Jeonghan hummed distantly, staring at their hands, and Seungcheol gave his fingers a gentle squeeze, hoping to soothe, knowing that sometimes it was better to just let Jeonghan figure things out in his head.</p><p>“Just...thinking,” Jeonghan said softly, voice like silk in Seungcheol’s ear, not quite down-to-earth. Seungcheol hummed, giving another squeeze, and Jeonghan’s index traced circles around his ring finger, as if imagining something there. Seungcheol tried to not give himself false hope, but the soft expression on Jeonghan’s face, eyes downcast, filled with fog and thoughtfulness, made him wonder, head full of fantasies and what-if’s, imagining a silver band around, not only his and Jeonghan’s fingers, but someone else’s too, fitted perfectly together. It would be cool to have rings that fit together in some way…</p><p>When they got to Hansol’s house, the mist had cleared from Jeonghan’s eyes somewhat, and he hummed to himself as he led the way up to the door, fiddling with the hem of his sweater to make it lie more neatly over his shoulders. Seungcheol couldn’t resist leaning in to kiss the back of his neck, eternally fond, and Jeonghan sent him a smile, thin but accepting.</p><p>“Oh, hey, nice, you’re here,” Hansol chirped when he opened the door, ushering them inside. “Honestly I didn’t think you’d be able to show up today but this is nice. Seok and Mingyu showed up a while ago, and I think everyone but Jihoon, Jun, and Chan can be here but they’ve met Josh before, I think.” He waved them inside, and Seungkwan popped his head into the entrance hall, grinning brightly, skipping forward to give them both a tight hug.</p><p>“It’s been too long,” he whined, giving Seungcheol a squeeze. “You’re getting old and we need to hang out more!”</p><p>“Kwan, respect your elders,” Jeonghan huffed, pinching his earlobe, but there was a smile on his face, soft, accommodating, fond for all those younger than him. He would be an excellent father, Seungcheol knew, and the thought sent little happy sparks through his chest, giddy at the idea. He’d always loved imagining little hands helping him in the kitchen…</p><p>“You’re daydreaming again,” Jeonghan hissed to him, but he was smiling, and a gentle tug on Seungcheol’s sleeve brought him back to reality, to the hardwood floor beneath his feet, to Jeonghan in front of him.</p><p>“Right, sorry, just...got distracted. Sol, where’s your new friend?” Curiosity made him follow after Hansol into the living room, where he could hear Mingyu’s signature high-pitches squeaks of laughter, bright and a little ridiculous. Seungcheol exchanged a curious look with Jeonghan, who shrugged, and they stepped into the well-lit room with expectant faces, inquisitive expressions. Just who had Hansol made friends with so easily? Normally Hansol could be quite the introvert.</p><p>“Guys, this is Joshua Hong. He’s an author, and a damn good one. You should edit for him, Seungcheol hyung,” Hansol introduced cheerfully, but Seungcheol barely heard him, staring openly at the man sitting across from them on the little loveseat by the window, who was staring right back at him, eyes wide, full of surprise.</p><p>He was...comfortingly familiar. Cattishly-curved eyes, the prettiest lips Seungcheol had ever seen, a cute button nose, silver hair that was slightly wavy, falling over his face in delicate curls. Joshua Hong, in all his glory, the author that had written a book that Seungcheol stayed up at night to read, the one who had made him so curious to meet, the one who had shared his and Jeonghan’s bed for a night and left them entranced.</p><p>Small world.</p><p>“Hi.” He didn’t expect Joshua to speak first. He didn’t expect Joshua to stand up with a hand outstretched, a fae-like grin on his face, <em> I know something you don’t, what will you do about it? </em> He expected Jeonghan to make the first move, bold and clever, but this...this was new, and Seungcheol felt something inside him ignite, a fire fueled by the look on Joshua’s face, familiar and yet foreign at the same time.</p><p>He was less surprised when Jeonghan immediately caught up, shaking Joshua’s hand with a cordial smile, charming as always, not quite pretending to be strangers. Their eye contact was simply too heated to be truly benign. Jeonghan didn’t like eye contact.</p><p>It took him another second to collect himself enough to shake Joshua’s hand, but when he did, heat flushed through his palm; Joshua’s hand was big, fingertips calloused, his grip gentle, a little loose, his smile turning softer when he looked at Seungcheol’s face. Seungcheol returned the smile to the best of his ability, and that tingly sense of giddiness came rushing back to run around his chest, invading the hollow parts of his bones.</p><p>“Y’know, crazy story, I’m actually editing your book,” he admitted, and even Joshua looked surprised.</p><p>“Wait, you know him?” Seungkwan seemed flabbergasted, and Mingyu and Seokmin’s eyes were wide. Jeonghan, next to him, snickered quietly into his palm.</p><p>“Not...directly,” Seungcheol said carefully, and Joshua tilted his head slightly to the side. His smile was impish again, daring Seungcheol to say more, to say how they <em> really </em> met, in the throes of pleasure and passion, filled with florescent purple lighting and the scent of alcohol clinging to their clothes, discarded into forgotten corners of their room.</p><p>But of course, Seungcheol wasn’t that bold, so he just offered a shy shrug, trying not to fidget with the lowest button on his shirt. Jeonghan told him he did that when he was nervous and it made him look suspicious.</p><p>“It’s a really good book. I was going to see if I could contact you and meet up so we could talk about it, but...funny coincidence, isn’t it?” He nodded to Hansol, who was looking between them curiously, always knowing.</p><p>“Yes. It is,” Joshua said simply, turning and plopping himself back into the loveseat. “Do you like it? The book.”</p><p>“Oh, I do, it’s really interesting. Very vivid.” It was easy to be honest, and as Jeonghan sat himself down in one of the empty chairs, legs neatly crossed, he leaned on the back of it, a smile crawling over his lips, unbidden but not undeserved. “One of the better books I’ve looked at, definitely. Y’know, someone sent one of my co-workers a college dissertation to be edited. Seungkwan, you know Hyungwon? Someone sent in a dissertation and he agreed to edit it.”</p><p>“Hyungwon hyung’s weird; cut him some slack,” Seungkwan huffed, waving a hand. “At least he’s not as bad as like...Changkyun hyung.”</p><p>“That is an absolutely fair point,” Seokmin cut in, grinning his million-watt smile, bright as always. “Now, Joshua hyung, you were telling us how you met Hansol?”</p><p>Joshua smiled, demure, but something about him told Seungcheol that Joshua was more like Jeonghan than anyone else in the room, gentlemanly though he may have looked. “Well, I moved to Korea a while ago, several years, and I’ve been writing the whole time, but I recently moved into this area because it was closer to where I needed to be, and I bumped into Hansol in a corner store, and I recognized his name from one of the albums I own. You go by Vernon when you do music, don’t you?”</p><p>The question was directed at Hansol, who nodded, tongue sticking out as he balanced a large tray with several mugs on it, full of steaming coffee and tea. “Yep. Me and Jihoon hyung signed the album in question for him. What did you do with it?”</p><p>“Kept it neat, like I do with all my albums,” Joshua hummed, plucking one of the cups of tea off the tray, long fingers wrapping tight around the sides of the mug. It looked...homey, domestic, like he belonged in soft sweaters in front of a fireplace on a snowy winter night, a journal in his lap and a cat sitting nearby. Was that too frivolous?</p><p>Well, if it was, then Seungcheol could tuck that daydream away for another time. For now, he could sit and stare as much as he wanted at Joshua’s pretty eye smile, the way he threw his head back when he laughed, how he reached out to bat Hansol’s shoulder affectionately whenever he said something ridiculous. When he glanced at Jeonghan, he could see unabashed want in the other man’s eyes, and he wholeheartedly agreed, smiling a bit to himself. As secretive as he could be, sometimes even Jeonghan wore his heart on his sleeve.</p><p>The fluttery feeling in his chest only increased when Joshua sent him those little smiles, sometimes gentle, sometimes teasing, and he might have been embarrassed to feel like a 14 year-old again, getting butterflies over his latest crush, but what was the point of falling in love if it wasn’t giddy and nerve-wracking and made him feel young again? Flashes of youth were meant to be present, he firmly believed.</p><p>And if he also wanted to do some 18+ things to Joshua in his and Jeonghan’s bedroom, then those urges could be appreciated too.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>“God, you’re <em> gorgeous</em>.” He couldn’t stop the praise from falling out of his mouth, muttered low and hoarse against the elegant column of Joshua’s neck, fingers fumbling with the buttons on his shirt. Joshua couldn’t exactly respond, not with Jeonghan’s lips on his, but he moaned softly and it was enough. More than enough. At least, now Seungcheol knew his name this time.</p><p>“C’mon, c’mon, bed, we’ve done this before,” Jeonghan huffed, herding Joshua backwards until the back of his knees hit the bed, sending them both falling back. Seungcheol didn’t want to miss a second, entranced with the sounds of kissing and muffled whispers, and as he wrestled his shirt and pants off he hurried to rejoin the action, cupping the back of Jeonghan’s neck to pull him into a kiss as well.</p><p>Once they’d left from Hansol’s house, Seungcheol and Jeonghan had intended to walk Joshua out to his car, but Joshua had just shrugged. “I took a bus,” he’d said lightly, giving them a small smile, and Jeonghan, as always, was the one to extend a hand, polite but only insofar as it benefitted him.</p><p>“Would you like us to take you home, then?” he offered, and Joshua smiled a sharper smile, not quite predatory but not submissive either.</p><p>“That would be lovely.”</p><p>Jeonghan and Joshua ended up making out in the back seat and Seungcheol couldn’t get home fast enough, and now that he was here, with Joshua in his bed for the second time, while all of them were sober and awake, he couldn’t quite believe his luck.</p><p>“Pretty,” he sighed, gently nudging Jeonghan out of the way to claim Joshua’s lips, hands creeping up to pin Joshua’s to the bed, and to his slight surprise, Joshua didn’t fight back, instead remaining soft and pliant under Seungcheol’s grip, letting him take the lead in their kisses. Huh. Less impish in bed, then; interesting. “You’re so pretty, Shua, it’s unreal.”</p><p>“You too; so pretty,” Joshua gasped, craning his head up for another kiss as Jeonghan shimmied out of his clothes, muttering to himself about the fit of his jeans. He was unexpectedly needy, even when he wasn’t drunk, and Seungcheol reveled in it; Jeonghan was usually so bratty, always playing hard-to-get. This kind of...softness, how Joshua looked up at him with those big, glassy eyes, lips red and plump...he liked it. A lot.</p><p>With a triumphant noise, Jeonghan wiggled out of the last of his clothing, dramatic as always, but Seungcheol didn’t mind, even when Jeonghan all but jumped onto the bed, dipping down to kiss Joshua’s jawline. “Let’s get this show on the road then, hm?”</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>The next time they woke up, day was fading into evening, painting the sky a million colors outside their windows, and Joshua was fast asleep on Jeonghan’s chest, having quickly slipped off to slumber once they’d showered thoroughly. Jeonghan was awake, but only barely, petting Joshua’s hair with one hand, holding Seungcheol’s with the other. Jeonghan didn’t like eye contact, but he liked to touch. Liked to feel, liked to reach out and know that other people were there. He had always thrived on tactile affection, so Seungcheol wasn’t surprised.</p><p>Seungcheol had chosen to lie on his stomach, listening to the soft, near-inaudible sounds of Jeonghan and Joshua’s breathing, and wondered how Joshua felt. He seemed...confident in staying a second time, seemingly having no problems with waking up next to them, considering they’d all just done that while sober, pretty much in the middle of the day, and a tiny seed of hope bloomed in his chest, a little blue flower waving in the wind. He wondered.</p><p>He smiled when Joshua stirred, sighing long and slow, tucking his face into Jeonghan’s neck and falling still again, and Jeonghan smiled lazily up at the ceiling, almost smug, as though he’d won something. Seungcheol couldn’t say what, but it was cute anyway, so he dared to reach out and pat the top of Joshua’s head, and despite the harsh dye job his hair was soft and smooth and silky, glinting golden in the light of the sunset coming through the window, making it seem as though he were some sort of otherworldly being, something truly ethereal, not of the human realm.</p><p>The sight of Jeonghan’s dainty fingers carding through that soft, soft hair did something for Seungcheol, something gentle, something homely, and he wanted. It might have been baseless and reckless and foolish but he wanted. He and Jeonghan had always wanted. And rather often, he and Jeonghan got what they wanted.</p><p>Jeonghan’s voice is rich in his ears when he speaks, still slightly breathy, though rough from sleep. “Should we order in?”</p><p>“That would be nice. Do you think he’ll want something to eat?”</p><p>Jeonghan only shrugged, but Seungcheol wanted to laugh at the look of tense regret on his face as he gently shook Joshua awake, though Joshua only clung tighter with a whine. Cuddly, eh? Cute.</p><p>“Darling, get up, we need to get dinner,” Jeonghan groaned softly, and that was when Joshua finally stirred, looking up slowly, into Jeonghan’s face. Jeonghan smiled. “Good evening. Did you have a nice nap?” Joshua was silent for several seconds, then his eyes slowly widened, alarm covering his face.</p><p>“Fuck, I forgot about Rasputin.”</p><p>“...Rasputin?” Seungcheol repeated, the name odd and harsh on his tongue. Joshua nodded, sitting up quickly, eyes still wide like he’d seen something he really hadn’t wanted to. As the covers fell away Seungcheol couldn’t help but admire the curves and lines of his body, honey-tan skin still soft and smooth, marked up with his and Jeonghan’s teeth.</p><p>“My cat. My god, I am in <em> so </em> much trouble,” Joshua muttered, rooting around the room for his clothes.</p><p>“Just take some of ours, darling,” Jeonghan called lazily, waving a hand, and Seungcheol didn’t protest, too busy giggling about Joshua talking about his cat like it was his supervisor. That was cute, the idea of Joshua having a cat. It fit.</p><p>“...Really?” Joshua looked up at them, still surprised, and Jeonghan waved his hand around again, uncaring.</p><p>“Of course. I’m sure Cheol will want to meet you again for your editing and besides, we have too many clothes. Actually, just keep whatever you put on. Unless it’s my shirt. I really like that shirt,” he hummed, rolling onto his side to face Joshua, probably grinning a Cheshire grin.</p><p>Standing there in the evening light, half-naked and marked up, Joshua seemed less...impish. He was still wide-eyed with surprise and any semblance to Jeonghan disappeared as a flustered look took over his face, cheeks going pink, and he drew part of his lower lip between his teeth, probably without thinking. “Um...ok, thank you. That’s very kind.” It was so...different, compared to the confidant man Seungcheol had met earlier that day, and he smiled, fond without trying.</p><p>“Don’t sweat it,” he assured, and Joshua’s cheeks remained a little pink as he sent a slightly bemused, sheepish smile at the floor, and when he left, dressed in his pants and Seungcheol’s shirt, Jeonghan let out a long, slow sigh, rolling over to look at Seungcheol’s chest, eyes big and shiny and pretty.</p><p>“Isn’t he cute?”</p><p>“Obviously.”</p><p>“Can we keep him?”</p><p>“He isn’t a stray cat, Hannie, even if he looks like a kitten.” Sitting up, Seungcheol tugged lightly at Jeonghan’s arm, admiring the softness of his skin, the subtle upward curve of Jeonghan’s lips. “C’mon, let’s get up and eat, shall we?”</p><p>Jeonghan didn’t bother putting on more than one of Seungcheol’s oversized graphic tees, but Seungcheol didn’t mind. When Jeonghan was relaxed, loose and lazy and draped in something that didn’t quite fit him, that was when Seungcheol liked him best. When Jeonghan’s sharp edges sanded down a bit, when he allowed himself to be less harsh. It was...comforting, almost.</p><p>“Well, I’m glad that you have contact with him, at least. Do you think he’d accept if I asked him out on a date?” Jeonghan gave him a raised eyebrow, and Seungcheol could only shrug. The thought was definitely nice, but…</p><p>Well, it was definitely mostly up to Joshua. Most people Seungcheol knew wouldn’t want to get into a polyamorous relationship with two men who had been dating for eight years and were planning to get married in the future. It was definitely a...daunting prospect, and Seungcheol could understand how it would be intimidating, but he wanted just as much as Jeonghan did, and Joshua had definitely piqued his interest, from the style of his writing if nothing else, and definitely from his looks and mannerisms, from the way he smiled to the dichotomy of him normally versus when he was flustered.</p><p>“Get out of your writing brain; we’re eating dinner,” Jeonghan whined, breaking him out of his thoughts, and Seungcheol laughed, shaking his head. Sometimes, he got poetic without realizing it, and Jeonghan, dry as ever, took great liberty in reminding him that other people existed.</p><p>But Seungcheol could tell Jeonghan’s thought were preoccupied; he ate very slowly, and seemed lost in thought, eyes elsewhere. Seungcheol couldn’t blame him, he felt the same, but it made him chuckle anyway, leaning his head on his hand, watching Jeonghan’s hair slowly slip out from behind his ear, watching Jeonghan’s dainty fingers rise to push it back into place, the motion absent, lingering. Seungcheol kind of wanted to hold Jeonghan’s hand.</p><p>He reasoned there was nothing stopping him from doing so, so he did, and Jeonghan smiled at him, confused but endeared, and Seungcheol smiled back, unable to help it.</p><p>If he smiled again when he found an unfamiliar button-up shirt in their room a little later, then only Jeonghan had to know.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The first time Seungcheol met Joshua to talk about his book, they were sitting in a nearby library, nestled into a corner, hunched over Joshua’s laptop. It felt...childishly intimate, the two of them sitting in a couple beanbags that had seen better days, trying not to breathe too loudly in the stifling quiet, whispering to each other as they talked about little grammar mistakes and ideas of how to improve, sitting too close to be entirely professional.</p><p>“I really like the whole idea of the story, but some of the characters feel as though they kinda got away from you,” Seungcheol chuckled, and Joshua smiled a dry smile.</p><p>“Have you ever written a book? I don’t write the characters; they run around doing whatever they want while I follow with a clipboard yelling at them to behave,” he joked, rolling his eyes, and Seungcheol did his best not to smile, to no avail. Joshua was ridiculously funny, in a way that was kind of dorky and embarrassing and self-deprecating, but he was also neat and polite and very gentlemanly, a good balance between professional and friendly while also being a touch rueful. Something about him told Seungcheol he had been a little touch-starved as a kid, a little pushed aside, but he didn’t comment on it.</p><p>“Well, let’s see how we can reign them in, then,” he offered, and Joshua smiled, a beautiful smile for a beautiful man, Seungcheol thought wistfully. He would do well in Jeonghan’s modeling business, perhaps for soft sweaters or cashmere pull-overs. Seungcheol wished he could say it aloud, but he didn’t dare, not yet.</p><p>By the end of it, as Seungcheol gave Seokmin a quick call, he watched Joshua out of the corner of his eye, watched him run his fingertip over the spines of the books like they were ancient tomes, mouthing the titles to himself, head tilted to read them. He looked a little ridiculous, but everyone else was doing the same thing, and Seungcheol bit back a smile, hoping it wouldn’t show in his voice.</p><p>When Seungcheol hung up, Joshua walked back over with at least five or six different books in a stack in his arms, all of them decently thick, looking rather excited. “What?” he huffed upon seeing Seungcheol’s expression. “Reading is good practice for writing. And I like fantasy. Don’t judge.”</p><p>“I’m not judging! Promise I’m not.” Seungcheol held his hands up defensively and Joshua’s lips curled into a pleased smile as he quickly checked the books out, humming quietly to himself, and when he had them all stacked up neatly again, he hefted them back into his arms, grinning as though he’d walked into a candy store for Christmas. Seungcheol wished he had the ability to read so many books in one sitting like that.</p><p>“Ok, let’s go! Thank you so much for working with me; I know I can be a bit eccentric, but you’re really kind,” Joshua hummed, and Seungcheol frowned. Eccentric? Far from eccentric, Seungcheol thought Joshua was very interesting.</p><p>“I don’t think you’re eccentric. I think you’re funny and you’re an excellent writer,” he offered, and a pretty pink flush made the tips of Joshua’s ears go red.</p><p>“Oh. Thanks, I guess. Most editors I’ve worked with tell me I’m a little…” he waved a hand around with some difficulty, “whimsical? I’m not as down-to-earth as they want me to be. I love daydreaming.” There was a slightly guilty smile on his face, as though it was something to be ashamed of, and Seungcheol batted his shoulder lightly. Despite having known this man for a very short amount of time, and despite having had sex with him for most of that time, it was so easy to be friendly with him, as though Seungcheol had known him since they were kids. Cliche, but it was true.</p><p>“I think that’s a mark of a good writer. What’s the use of having so much creativity if you don’t use it?” he reasoned, and Joshua smiled, the pink blush spreading over his nose.</p><p>“You’re very kind, Seungcheol,” he said again, and the simple use of his name made Seungcheol’s heart do something warm and fluttery inside his chest. He had always been one to think that the use of a name in conversation was one of the most intimate things someone could do, sending shivers down his spine and making him all flustered and giddy.</p><p>“Thanks, Joshua. If it helps, I like to daydream too. Makes time pass.”</p><p>“That it does.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The next time they met, it was in an office in Seungcheol’s main work building, but once they were alone they abandoned all pretense of being strictly professional and dragged two of the plusher chairs next to each other. Joshua sat like a bird, perched on the edge of the chair with his knees brought up close to his chest, arms wrapped around his calves. Seungcheol went for a classic criss-cross and leaned forward as much as he dared, cup of coffee forgotten on his desk.</p><p>“There’s a distinct lack of romantic relationships in the spotlight in this book,” he hummed; he’d been curious about it ever since he finished the book. “People might feel unfulfilled.”</p><p>Joshua shrugged. “I get that, but platonic relationships are just as important as romantic ones. I want to keep my focus on the plot, and I want to emphasize that there doesn’t need to be romance for a story to be good. And I love my friends. I don’t have a lot but they’re important to me and I didn’t want to bother with heteronormativity. Such an overused trope.”</p><p>“Did you just call straight people a trope?”</p><p>“Absolutely.”</p><p>“...You’re so weird,” Seungcheol laughed, and Joshua sent him a smile that was slightly bemused, as though confused as to why Seungcheol found it funny but was endeared by his reaction all the same.</p><p>“I’ve been described as such before, yes, and I have to admit that it’s true,” Joshua sighed, rolling his eyes, and that only made Seungcheol laugh more, reaching out to punch Joshua’s shoulder affectionately. Joshua grinned, and there was a gleam in his eye, almost challenging, something new, something that had sparked to life that wasn’t there before.</p><p>Seungcheol took it as a good sign, and together they worked through more of the book, occasionally laughing if they came upon a particularly amusing mistake, and talking extensively about the lore of the book, which Joshua had actually written out in a separate document.</p><p>“I love world-building. The kind of behind-the-scenes stuff? That’s all fascinating to me. I love to give all my people depth, probably a little too much. I could probably write a book on the main character’s culture alone,” Joshua had said, eagerly pulling up another tab, which indeed, had a very detailed explanation of the background of each character and some lore about the world itself, including how major religions worked and some history.</p><p>“Ooh, I’m always fascinated by lore. I love reading extra bits that we don’t normally see. Just make sure it doesn’t overshadow the story itself. It could be an addendum, if you ever wrote another book for this story,” Seungcheol said eagerly, and Joshua smiled bigger, hurriedly sending him the document.</p><p>“Maybe I’ll do that on the side. I have...quite a bit of free time, after all.” Joshua’s smile faded just a little, a thin cloud covering the sun but not totally obstructing its light, and Seungcheol’s amusement faded similarly, turning to a similar faint fog of concern, more like mist, settling over his shoulders, cool and light, a faint caress against his skin as he tilted his head, not pushing, just curious. Joshua, despite most likely noticing his concern, didn’t say anything else.</p><p>Seungcheol decided to move on; it was a faintly mundane statement anyway, and they had better things to do, like debating on whether or not it would be a good idea to self-publish. Seungcheol hated most publishers.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The third time they met, it was a rainy day, overcast and gloomy, but Seungcheol didn’t mind, walking up to a quaint little hole-in-the-wall breakfast cafe, closing his umbrella as he stepped under the awning, taking one last glance at the rainy sky. He had always loved the rain, and Jeonghan liked the smell that clung to his clothes when he came back from a walk, so he was happy to wander around, taking joy from what most people would rather avoid.</p><p>He met eyes with Joshua across the room, and as he was waved over he smiled, hoping he didn’t look too unkempt. Joshua looked as sweet and soft as ever in soft-looking pants and a layered shirt under a thick flannel, a pair of thin, round glasses sitting high on the bridge of his nose. Joshua seemed to be softer around him than around Jeonghan, but then again, he and Jeonghan had spent very little time together (which was a shame), so Seungcheol couldn’t be sure, though he appreciated it. He wasn’t quite as quick-witted as Jeonghan, which Jeonghan loved to tease him for.</p><p>“Hey there,” he called, casual and friendly, and Joshua smiled at him, nodding back. He was definitely much more soft-spoken than Jeonghan, though not necessarily quiet. He was just as talkative but his voice was just...softer. His whole demeanor was a little less...sarcastic. Seungcheol liked it just as much.</p><p>“Hey,” Joshua said back once he was within earshot, and as Seungcheol plopped down beside him Joshua gave him a small smile, tilting his head slightly to the side. Seungcheol had noticed that he did that a lot, just a small motion that was probably unconscious. It was cute, and it reminded Seungcheol of a particularly curious puppy or kitten, any small animal with an urge to explore. “I fixed up the list of errors you sent me, so thanks for that.”</p><p>“Don’t worry about it. It always helps to read something in a different font or size than what you wrote it in,” Seungcheol hummed, glancing at Joshua’s open laptop. Joshua bobbed his head with a low hum of acknowledgement, sounding a little surprised, eyes widening just a touch.</p><p>“I should have thought of that; that’s smart. I’ll use that next time.”</p><p>As they talked, Seungcheol spent most of the time staring at Joshua’s face, admiring the way he smiled, the curve of his lips, the tone of his voice, soft and low and lilting and slightly accented, in a way that Seungcheol liked, as though listening to a singer who wasn’t actually singing (“That’s called talking, Seungcheol,” Jihoon would say to him).</p><p>“-And I think I didn’t actually reveal that he- Seungcheol? Are you listening?” Joshua’s voice turned light, curious, and Seungcheol shook himself out of his stupor, forcing his attention back to the topic at hand, a little embarrassed at how easily he’d lost track of what they were doing. He was used to staring at Jeonghan as he rambled on, barely paying attention, focusing more on the passion in Jeonghan’s eyes.</p><p>“Sorry, got a bit lost in thought. You were saying?” Joshua raised an eyebrow at him, but his smile was small and amused so Seungcheol figured he was safe, and after a second or two Joshua leaned back, closing his laptop slowly.</p><p>“Well, if you’re distracted, would you rather we do something else? I’d imagine even editing gets boring sometimes?”</p><p>“No, no, it’s not boring at all, I’m so sorry for not paying attention-”</p><p>“Cheol.” The use of his nickname shut him up easily, and he could feel heat crawling up his neck, especially when Joshua tilted his head again, smiling softly, welcoming. “Let’s go take a walk, hm? You seem like a person who loves the rain.”</p><p>“I- I do,” Seungcheol admitted warily, and Joshua smiled bigger, standing up and putting his laptop back into its case, pulling on the raincoat he’d left draped over the back of his chair.</p><p>“Good,” he said simply, flashing Seungcheol a slightly more mischievous grin, “I do too.”</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>A walk in the rain turned into a race to the nearest park, and Seungcheol knew it must have looked strange, two grown men chasing each other through the pouring rain, laughing hard and grinning as though it was a beautifully sunny day, but he couldn’t bring himself to care, because Joshua’s laughter was rich and sweet and just ridiculous enough to make Seungcheol laugh that little bit harder, endeared from the top of his head to the tips of his toes, and sure, he was soaking wet and would probably need to take an hour-long bath when he got home, but it was so, so worth it, to see Joshua dancing away from him, soaked to the skin but beaming like it was his birthday, eyes bright with mirth and happiness, so, so <em> beautiful</em>.</p><p>For a few seconds, Seungcheol got distracted again as Joshua turned to grin at him, triumphant, hopping up onto one of the playground steps, and in that single second, Seungcheol managed to step wrong on a slippery patch of grass, sending him careening into the ground, slamming his face against the grass before he could even register that he’d fallen, a high-pitched yelp of surprise leaving him before it was cut off by him hitting the ground.</p><p>Joshua was by his side before he could blink, looking torn between laughing and frowning in concern. “Oh my god, are you alright?” he asked urgently, hands fluttering over Seungcheol’s shoulders as he sat up. “Took a nasty fall, there…”</p><p>“‘M fine, ‘m fine,” Seungcheol said thickly, peeling himself off the ground with all the grace of a newborn bird, and when he reached up his face felt wet, pain blossoming through his nose with a dull, deep ache. Joshua’s soft gasp made him pull his fingers away, only to see the tips stained red, and he sniffled, the taste of blood on the back of his tongue.</p><p>“No, no, don’t sniff, that’ll aerosolize blood into your lungs,” Joshua tutted, and he pulled a packet of tissues out of his laptop bag, delicately dabbing the blood out from under Seungcheol’s nose. “Just let it flow; don’t tip your head back. Are you ok?”</p><p>The concern was nice, and Seungcheol nodded, offering a tremulous smile, but after a second or two, he laughed; it must have been hilarious, seeing him, a grown, well-dressed man go flying down and getting a bloody nose just from something as silly as slipping on the wet grass, and though it kind of hurt his nose to laugh, at least it dulled the feeling of slight humiliation.</p><p>“Did you hit your head?” Josuha huffed, giving him a dry smile and handing him the packet of tissues. “C’mon, let’s go somewhere dry, how about?”</p><p>“Let’s just go back to my house; I can make hot chocolate, or coffee, or tea. And I’d rather not walk around bleeding everywhere,” Seungcheol offered instead, and Joshua nodded, patting his head gently, eyes still scanning his face for other injuries, and Seungcheol felt goosebumps rise along his arms when calloused fingertips brushed ever-so-lightly against his cheek, and his skin stung with the faintest of pains.</p><p>“You got a scratch,” Joshua said, his voice oddly quiet, a soft accompaniment to the falling rain. Seungcheol had always loved the sound of the rain.</p><p>“...Oh.” Seungcheol couldn’t think of much else to say, but it didn’t seem to matter much, because a sharp, slightly alarming clarity returned to Joshua’s eyes, as if he was snapping himself out of a day dream, and Seungcheol kind of wanted to keep watching him be lost in thought. It was interesting. He wondered how Joshua’s mind worked, how he clicked, how he created worlds no one else had thought of before.</p><p>But his nose ached and he was soaking wet and so was Joshua, and they really probably needed to dry off before they got sick, so he could save his musings for a more...private time.</p><p>“C’mon, let’s take a bus, hm? I don’t think my house is too far away from here,” he hummed, glancing around, holding a wet tissue up to his nose. The feeling of blood dripping out was kind of ticklish and itchy, but he didn’t think his nose was broken. He had broken it once before, in a similar manner, and it had felt different. The pain was sharper, more cutting, physically wrong. This time, it didn’t hurt nearly as much.</p><p>Joshua fussing over him didn’t ease the pain, but it did, at the very least, make him feel a little better inside, warm, as though he’d been doused in hot water, had drank a long sip of something warm and rich. Everything about Joshua was just...warm, warm and soft, even in the pouring rain, the sky slate-grey and overcast.</p><p>He was enamoured already, and he couldn’t even blame himself.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>“Cheol, what the fuck.” That was an appropriate greeting, Seungcheol reasoned to himself, as Jeonghan stood in the entrance hallway of their house, a book dangling from his loose hand, eyes wide. “And- and Joshua? Why are you two soaking wet? Were you out playing in the rain? For god’s sake, get in, get in, come take a shower before you catch a cold. Did you get a bloody nose, Cheol, what the hell? God, you’re ridiculous. C’mon, c’mon, get in!” Typical Jeonghan, asking questions that he would answer two seconds later.</p><p>“We were playing in the rain, and Seungcheol took a tumble,” Joshua explained, fondness in his voice, and Jeonghan rolled his eyes with an exasperated sigh, putting his hands on his hips as Seungcheol smiled a sheepish smile, raindrops still clinging to his eyelashes. After a few seconds, Jeonghan softened, his expression turning more fond as he pointed to the bathroom.</p><p>“Go. Both of you shower. Joshua, you can wear whatever you’d like from our closet. Seungcheol, if you aren’t showering by the time I’m finished making hot chocolate then I’m dragging you in,” Jeonghan threatened, and it was a very real threat, so Seungcheol gave him a mock salute, a little jaunty, a little mocking, and Jeonghan stuck his tongue out, equally childish. “Go.”</p><p>“Whatever you say, boss,” he chuckled, leading Joshua to the main bathroom. They had a second, smaller bathroom across the house, which Seungcheol would use, but he would be lying if he said the thought of showering with Joshua didn’t sound tempting.</p><p>“I feel kinda bad, y’know, stealing your clothes every time I come over,” Joshua sighed as Seungcheol handed him some of Jeonghan’s clothes. Jeonghan wouldn’t mind, would he? Probably not. </p><p>“Nah, don’t worry about it. We have a lot of clothes. We still have your shirt, actually, would you rather wear that…?”</p><p>“...No, it’s ok,” Joshua said slowly, looking down at the clothes, and Seungcheol grinned, ruffling Joshua’s wet hair, making the younger smile a bit.</p><p>“Then don’t worry about it. Clean towels are under the right side of the sink.”</p><p>“Thanks. This is really sweet of you,” Joshua said gently, and his eyes curved up into those pretty little eye smiles, kittenish and soft, and Seungcheol smiled without thinking, tempted to boop his nose.</p><p>“Just...hospitality,” he said lamely, and Joshua’s smile sharpened, amusement seeping into his eyes, turning them warm, not at all dampened by the rain. He was nice like that, Seungcheol thought to himself, a good foul-weather friend, just like Jeonghan.</p><p>“I’ll just have to thank my hosts for being so kind someday then,” Joshua hummed, brushing past him out into the hallway, and Seungcheol snagged some clothes for himself, but by the time he got out into the hallway, the bathroom door was closed, and he huffed out a slightly disbelieving laugh, shaking his head a little; how bold.</p><p>Before he could head to the other bathroom, Jeonghan walked up to him, brow furrowed, genuine concern on his face as he reached out to trail his fingers down Seungcheol’s face, the faintest of pouts making his lower lip push out, and since he was allowed to, Seungcheol reached out to cup his cheek, giving him a smile. Jeonghan didn’t seem convinced. “Are you ok?” he asked again, voice far softer than Seungcheol expected. But then again, Jeonghan was always surprising him. “Nothing broken?”</p><p>“Just bruised, I think. It’ll stop bleeding soon,” he assured, dabbing the tissue under his nose with a grimace. “You’re sweet.”</p><p>Jeonghan only hummed, eyes scanning his face, landing on the same scratch Joshua had looked at back in the park. “...You’re so reckless sometimes. Like a puppy who doesn’t know how to slow down.” It was light, fond, but there was a hint of exasperation, and Seungcheol could only smile, leaning in to kiss Jeonghan’s cheek, careful not to bump his nose anywhere.</p><p>“I know. You’ve told me plenty of times. But it’s hard not to chase after him. You would have done the same.” It was true, and Jeonghan knew it, judging by the soft smile that had taken over his face.</p><p>Until it turned slightly sultry, and Seungcheol wanted to laugh. “He looks good soaking wet, doesn’t he?”</p><p>“You’re insatiable, Yoon Jeonghan,” he scoffed, shaking his head, and Jeonghan laughed, herding him on his way to the bathroom, towel and clothes tucked under his arm. They didn’t normally use the other shower, since it was mostly for when their friends came over and needed a quick clean-off, but he could handle it, and if he was lucky Jeonghan would join him for a bit.</p><p>“I know what you’re thinking, but I need to make you two soup,” Jeonghan chuckled into his ear, low, familiar, his touch grounding on the backs of Seungcheol’s shoulders.</p><p>“Since when did you learn to cook?” Seungcheol glanced over his shoulder just in time to see Jeonghan roll his eyes.</p><p>“Since I figured out that sometimes everyone who makes food for me is either sleeping or in the shower or won’t get out of bed, and I need to make sustenance for myself that isn’t just instant ramen. Though, given the chance, I would absolutely subsist on takeout noodles and only takeout noodles.”</p><p>“I know you would. Now if you’re going to make soup, go make it now before I drag you in with me anyway,” Seungcheol hummed, nudging Jeonghan back towards the kitchen, and Jeonghan gave him a quick kiss before flouncing away. It made Seungcheol roll his eyes again, but it was fond, and by the time he had gotten into the shower, his nose had stopped bleeding, and with some aspirin the pain would fade. Though, he was a little disappointed at how hard it was to smell his favorite shampoo.</p><p>He tried his best not to think about Joshua showering in the other bathroom, wondering if he was using their products, wondering if he would come out smelling clean and fresh and like Jeonghan’s favorite rose conditioner, wearing their clothes like he belonged in them, hair still damp but his smile warm, so warm. Joshua was warm, in all aspects.</p><p>Trying to wash his face had never been so difficult, for a multitude of reasons.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>When he walked out 20 minutes later, nose still smarting but aching less, he could smell the savoury spices of soup a little more easily, and when he walked into the kitchen Jeonghan was there, stirring a pot on the stove, wearing an apron and looking painfully domestic. “Aspirin’s on the counter,” he said, without looking over, and Seungcheol made sure to give the back of his neck a gentle kiss before getting a glass of water to down the pills.</p><p>“Thanks. Is he out of the shower?”</p><p>“Should be. The water turned off a couple minutes ago.”</p><p>Seungcheol hummed, ruffing his hair dry with the towel still draped over his head, and plastered himself along Jeonghan’s back, nosing the back of his neck, leaving light, ticklish kisses here and there, and Jeonghan’s hand landed on his hip, giving a gentle squeeze of acknowledgement.</p><p>“Love you,” he mumbled, just because he could, and Jeonghan’s hand patted his hip again.</p><p>“Love you too. Now can you get me some bowls?”</p><p>Ah, domestic bliss, Seungcheol thought with a sort of rueful fondness, going to fetch the aforementioned objects. As he was closing the cabinet door, he heard footsteps coming down the hall, and he smiled, looking up to see Joshua walking into the kitchen, dressed in their clothes, looking curious. It was an almost surreal sight, Joshua’s hair still dripping, water droplets rolling down the golden column of his throat, dampening the collar of his (Jeonghan’s) shirt.</p><p>“How’s your nose?” Joshua prompted, and Seungcheol reached up to touch it experimentally, still lost in how...pretty Joshua was. He didn’t seem quite human.</p><p>“Stinging, but not bad,” he assured, and Joshua smiled softly.</p><p>“That’s good. Thanks for letting me borrow your stuff, by the way.” He seemed so adorably sheepish, plucking at the hem of the shirt, and it was Jeonghan who waved the gratitude away.</p><p>“Don’t mention it. Not to sound too forward but they look better on you than they did on us,” he chuckled, which was kind of true. Joshua looked great in Jeonghan’s expensive, comfortable clothes, like he belonged draped in wealth. Seungcheol wanted to give that to him, wanted to give him everything he could have ever wanted.</p><p>“I <em> have </em> been needing a new shirt,” Joshua joked, walking closer, peering at the pot. “Smells really good, by the way. I haven’t had a home-cooked meal for months.”</p><p>Both Seungcheol and Jeonghan gaped at him, and Joshua looked between them, curious. “...What?”</p><p>“...You haven’t had a home-cooked meal for <em> how </em> long?” Jeonghan sounded almost offended, the tilt of his brows becoming more righteously angry than anything else, and Joshua snorted, shrugging it off.</p><p>“I’m a writer. Do you honestly think I have the time, money, or motivation necessary to cook anything for myself that’s more complex than instant ramen?” he chuckled, and while he kind of had a point, Seungcheol was still surprised. Everyone deserved to eat something nice and warm and prepared with love at least once in a while!</p><p>“What about your family? Do they ever cook for you?” he couldn’t help but ask, and Joshua’s smile turned softer. Not sad, but...wistful.</p><p>“My family all live in the States. Don’t get to see them very often.” Oh. That...must have been hard. Seungcheol got to see his family at least four or five times a year, sometimes more, depending on how he felt.</p><p>“Well, we’ll fix that then,” Jeonghan said firmly, stirring the soup more vigorously, and Seungcheol gave Joshua a somewhat helpless smile and shrug; it was always much easier to agree with Jeonghan than to go against him. Joshua smiled back, and it was with the same sort of exasperated fondness. Seungcheol had a feeling Jeonghan and Joshua would get along splendidly.</p><p>Indeed, when they sat down, three steaming bowls of soup in front of them, the first thing Jeonghan did was lean forward towards Joshua, and Seungcheol recognized the look on his face, eyes slightly narrowed, eyelashes fluttering, demure smile stretched wide, full of faux-shyness. “So, you said you had a cat? What’re they like?”</p><p>“Rasputin? He’s...big,” Joshua offered, looking thoughtful, stirring his soup slowly like he’d never eaten it before. He seemed lost in thought, but as to why Seungcheol had no clue. “80% fur and 20% seething hatred. I love him though.”</p><p>Seungcheol snorted; that sounded like most cats. Joshua smiled a bit, still looking at his soup, and Jeonghan hummed, his smile turning softer, more genuine, laced with the kind of affection that he normally directed at small children. His head was slightly titled, chin in his hand as he watched Joshua eat, and that was when Seungcheol knew Jeonghan was just as enamoured as he was.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Rasputin was, indeed, big. The first time Joshua invited them over to his dinky apartment in the heart of the city, the very first thing Seungcheol noticed was the absolutely massive cat that immediately slinked between Joshua’s legs, meowing at a volume that didn’t seem possible, and Joshua grunted as he crouched to scoop up the cat, hefting him up and down a couple times.</p><p>“I’m home, my little gremlin,” Joshua cooed, swaying the cat back and forth, laying an obnoxious kiss between his ears. “I brought company too, so you better behave, ok? That means no ankle-biting. Is that clear?” Rasputin meowed, a little quieter, turning big yellow eyes onto Seungcheol and Jeonghan.</p><p>“...Big cat,” was all Seungcheol could really say. “What breed is he?”</p><p>“Dunno. I lured him out of the dumpster by the park with some leftover chicken,” Joshua said cheerfully, opening his arms to let the cat drop back to the floor. “He’s a little bastard, but he’s <em> my </em> bastard, so I don’t mind. Just...be mindful of your ankles. He’s a biter.”</p><p>“So is Cheol,” Jeonghan mumbled, too quiet for Joshua’s to hear, or maybe just loud enough, judging by the way Joshua’s lips twitched up in amusement. Seungcheol rolled his eyes, but crouched down to hold a hand out anyway. Rasputin was a pretty cat, almost lion-like, with pointy, tufted ears, a squirrel-like tail, and thick fur, like burnt wood. Instead of moving towards him, Rasputin just gave him the judgemental look that all cats did and moved to hop onto the counter, then on top of the fridge, looking down at them imperiously.</p><p>“Don’t be rude. I literally feed you and house you,” Joshua huffed, and Rasputin meowed loudly at him. “Don’t talk back to your father that way!” Another meow. “...Ok, but I’m still in charge.”</p><p>Seungcheol and Jeonghan exchanged a look, painfully fond, and Joshua rolled his eyes, turning back to them and gesturing for them to come further into the house. “Sorry about his behavior. He’s kind of an ass. And sorry about the space; I know it’s not much. At least it’s clean…”</p><p>“No, don’t be sorry! This is really quaint,” Jeonghan assured, looking around, eyes wide with interest. “Ooh, you keep succulents? You and Hao would get along so well.”</p><p>“How?” Joshua repeated.</p><p>“Minghao. He’s a Chinese friend of mine. You might know him from the clothing label he owns…?”</p><p>“Minghao as in Xu Minghao? Owner of The8 Style?” At Jeonghan’s nod, Joshua’s eyes grew wide, and he let out a slightly disbelieving laugh. “Damn, you guys have nice friends.”</p><p>“He’s kind of a dick once you get to know him,” Seungcheol joked, and Joshua relaxed a tiny bit, adjusting one of the succulents on the windowsill.</p><p>“Isn’t everyone?”</p><p>“Fair point.”</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>For at least four hours, they sat down in Joshua’s cozy little living room and talked, about Joshua’s book, about Rasputin, about each other, and Seungcheol couldn’t stop staring at the two beautiful men in front of him, laughing and bantering playfully as though they’d known each other all their lives, and he was right in thinking Jeonghan and Joshua would get along well; they’d hardly spent half an hour talking before they turned to start teasing him, and he couldn’t even bring himself to mind, too entranced to care. He couldn’t tear his eyes away.</p><p>A heavy weight in his lap distracted him, and he looked down to see Rasputin making a home out of his lap, loafing up neatly, determinedly not looking at him to maintain that air of aloof uncaring that all cats tried to keep up. It didn’t work very well, considering the cat was using his lap as a bed.</p><p>“Aww, he likes you,” Joshua cooed, and Seungcheol smiled, daring to run his fingers though Rasputin’s thick fur, and when the cat started purring loudly, he smiled brighter, though he knew it would only be a matter of time before his legs fell asleep. Oh well.</p><p>“If he bothers you just chuck him off; he can take it,” Joshua hummed, waving a hand, and Seungcheol snorted, scritching between Rasputin’s ears. As if understanding him, Rasputin meowed loudly, looking as offended as a cat could possibly look, and even Jeonghan looked amused, reaching out to flutter his fingers in front of Rasputin’s nose.</p><p>Unbidden, a thought rose to the forefront of Seungcheol’s mind, soft and gentle:<em> a cat would look good in our living room. </em> It was short, but it made Seungcheol’s heart go all mushy, and against his better judgement he <em> wanted</em>. How could he not? He looked up at Joshua and saw him smiling softly, and then looked back down at the cat in his lap, then glanced at Jeonghan, and everything in his world fell into place and it was horribly cliche but he was allowed to be cliche and so things felt <em> right</em>. All of a sudden he was filled with fondness and affection and he wanted to tug Joshua and Jeonghan closer to him and whisper something soft, something that would make them giggle.</p><p>“Smitten, aren’t you.” Jeonghan’s voice was lilting, amused, but the look in his eyes meant something different. Seungcheol knew what he was trying to say, and he smiled a sheepish smile, not completely embarrassed, just a little shy about being caught so deep in his mushy feelings.</p><p>“Aren’t you?” he countered, and Jeonghan’s eyes flickered to Joshua for the briefest of moments, an acknowledgement, both of them coming to the same page.</p><p>“I am.”</p><p>And that was all the confirmation Seungcheol needed to hear. Jeonghan worked in half-truths and white lies, never quite directly saying what he meant so to hear such a solid agreement was good. It meant he was being serious. Usually Jeonghan left things up to interpretation, harebringer of chaos that he was, waiting for Seungcheol to catch up, three steps ahead.</p><p>“Y’know, I’m kinda surprised,” Joshua hummed, making both of them look over, curious. “Usually he’s less friendly.” He nodded to Rasputin, who still hadn’t moved, tail tip flicking lazily back and forth.</p><p>“Well, better for me. I like cats,” Seungcheol said brightly, and Joshua’s smile felt like a personal attack.</p><p>“You can always come over if you wanna see him. I’m sure he’d be pleased,” Joshua offered, and yep, that was yet another arrow into the soft parts of Seungcheol’s heart, piercing deep, cementing his fluttery infatuation.</p><p>“We’d like that,” Jeonghan said for him, lightly scratching beneath Rasputin’s chin, smiling right at Joshua, who smiled back, a little sharp, hints of playfulness, mixed with something amiable and gentle. It was an odd contrast, the combination of his gentle features and his secretly sneaky demeanor, but the dichotomy only made Seungcheol want to lean closer to him, pick apart every facet of his personality until he knew Joshua as well as he knew Jeonghan.</p><p>He was once again distracted by the cat in his lap when Rasputin stood up and stretched, kneading his thigh for a moment before hopping off of his lap, leaving a cold spot that made Seungcheol pout without thinking, whining childishly as the cat padded away, fluffy tail disappearing around a corner.</p><p>Joshua just scoffed, rolling his eyes. “He always does that, pushing away his friends. So rude.”</p><p>“Well, cats are fickle creatures,” Jeonghan reasoned, stretching himself out across the couch, putting his head in Seungcheol’s lap, the picture of hedonistic indulgence, just the way Seungcheol liked him. Jeonghan would have made an excellent Greek God.</p><p>“I can see that,” Joshua said dryly, a hint of amusement in his eyes as he raised an eyebrow at Jeonghan, who grinned up at the ceiling, shark-like and toothy, knowing something everyone else didn’t. He was still beautiful; there was something alluring in the way that he smiled, the knowing glint in his eyes, how he never quite worked the way everyone else wanted him to. Yoon Jeonghan listened to no man, and Seungcheol was enamoured.</p><p>Boy, Seungcheol was in deep, wasn’t he.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Lazy Sunday mornings were gifts from above, Seungcheol was certain, as he laid there in the mid-morning light streaming through the windows, Jeonghan and Joshua nestled into bed on either side of him, cuddled close where he liked them to be. He’d woken up half an hour ago, and couldn’t bring himself to do much more than open his eyes and stare blankly at the ceiling, too warm and content to move.</p><p>Plus, if he even dared lift his arms, he would move Jeonghan and Joshua, and that was a crime punishable by death, so he didn’t want to do that.</p><p>Sighing softly, he let himself relax, rubbing one hand gently along Jeonghan’s hip, the other patting Joshua’s side. They’d all been sitting around Seungcheol and Jeonghan’s living room drinking some nice wine that Minghao had given them, and by the time the bottle was empty, Joshua had migrated into Seungcheol’s lap, kissing him languidly, and Seungcheol could still remember the taste of the wine lingering on his tongue, the tang of pennies and metal, mixed with something floral, not quite sweet, something Seungcheol couldn’t describe other than heady.</p><p>Of course, it had taken precisely zero convincing to get Jeonghan to join them, and once again Seungcheol had enjoyed the great pleasure of nudging Joshua down onto their 800 thread-count sheets and ravishing him completely and utterly, and when he turned his head, looking at Joshua’s neck, he smiled at seeing the dark red hickies he and Jeonghan had left the night before, still prominent. He wanted to kiss them.</p><p>He would have if Joshua hadn’t stirred, taking a deep breath and sighing softly, throwing a leg over one of Seungcheol’s, laying his arm over Seungcheol’s waist, hugging him like a teddy bear before falling still, opening his eyes slowly, still cloudy with sleepiness, expression relaxed, and Seungcheol couldn’t stop himself from smiling, raising a hand to run through Joshua’s hair, a little wordless greeting that he always did to Jeonghan without thinking, senseless and automatic but meaningful, just something to let Joshua knew he was there.</p><p>“Morning,” he whispered, and Joshua closed his eyes with a quiet grunt, getting comfortable again. Seungcheol laughed and let him relax, turning to nuzzle Jeonghan’s nose affectionately. Jeonghan, as expected, didn’t move, remaining peacefully asleep, and Seungcheol took a moment to admire him. He looked so much more open when he was asleep, less guarded, as angelic as everyone thought he was at first glance.</p><p>It was another hour before any of them properly got up, and Seungcheol drifted in and out of sleep for the whole time, to the point where it was actually Jeonghan who woke him up with a gentle shake to his shoulder and a light kiss to his nose, which, thankfully, had healed fully a couple weeks ago, and he could finally smell things again. Like Jeonghan’s rose shampoo that he loved so much and the blackberry lotion Joshua liked that made him smell amazing.</p><p>“C’mon, darling, get up so we can eat. Shua knows how to make pancakes,” Jeonghan murmured, kissing the lobe of his ear, and Seungcheol grunted wordlessly, forcing himself to sit up, the blankets pooling over his lap as he sat and stared into nothing for a couple seconds, collecting himself from the scattered edges of a comfortable sleep.</p><p>He was more rudely awoken when a shirt came sailing right into his face, and he flailed to catch it, glaring at Jeonghan and pouting his best pout, but Jeonghan only cackled, fully-dressed and awake, and blew him a kiss before sauntering out the door, cocky as anything.</p><p>He smiled at the sight of Joshua standing in their kitchen over the stove, wearing little more than an open flannel and some grey sweatpants that definitely didn’t belong to him, exposing the toned, flat muscles of his chest and stomach for Seungcheol to admire. Somehow, despite being rather muscular for his build, the sight of Joshua standing there in their clothes, tending to some pancakes, made Seungcheol’s heart flutter more than if Joshua had been doing it naked.</p><p>Especially when Jeonghan wrapped his arms around Joshua’s waist from behind, hooking his chin onto Joshua’s shoulder and peering inquisitively down at what he was doing. “Where’d you learn how to do this?”</p><p>“Lived in America since I was 19. If you don’t know how to make pancakes over there, then you’re like, weird,” Joshua chuckled, and he seemed perfectly at home with Jeonghan draped over his back, and when he glanced up, he sent Seungcheol a smile. “Morning. Nice bed head.”</p><p>Seungcheol grimaced as Jeonghan giggled at him, and he ran his hands aggressively through his hair, coaxing it to lie flat. He knew he shouldn’t have gotten his hair permed…</p><p>“He looks so adorable right after he wakes up, right? All soft and sleepy and ruffled,” Jeonghan cooed, and Joshua nodded with a gently teasing smile, poking at the pancakes. Seungcheol didn’t even know they had stuff to make pancakes; it wasn’t something they ate often, but he had to admit, the smell made him slightly nostalgic, though he couldn’t quite place why. He enjoyed it anyway, taking a deep breath of pancake-scented air, and moved a little closer to brush his hand down Joshua’s arm in wordless thanks. Joshua smiled at him again, still wearing that lightly teasing smile, and he glanced behind him at Jeonghan, sharing a joke at Seungcheol’s expense. Seungcheol didn’t mind too much.</p><p>They laid there in comfortable silence, too sleepy and too content to disturb the soft atmosphere, and Seungcheol almost drifted off again a couple times, listening to Joshua hum to himself as he cleared away the dishes, accompanied by the soft click of ceramic against metal. It was so comfortably domestic, and Seungcheol wanted.</p><p>As he laid on his arms at the table, Jeonghan and Joshua puttered around, doing early-bird things that Seungcheol didn’t understand but was happy to watch from afar, and he smiled a sleepy smile when he watched Jeonghan stop Joshua in the living room to button up his flannel and brush the hair away from his eyes, letting his fingers linger on the silver strands, impossibly fond in ways Jeonghan normally wasn’t.</p><p>“There,” Jeonghan hummed, satisfaction coloring his voice gentle, “all nice and handsome.”</p><p>“Are you saying I’m not handsome if I don’t have my shirt buttoned up?” Joshua chuckled, and Jeonghan tugged playfully on a lock of his hair, wrinkling his nose.</p><p>“I’m saying now you’re publicly and socially acceptable. Can’t have everyone staring at what I like to see, right?” Jeonghan grinned and Joshua rolled his eyes, though he reached out to straighten Jeonghan’s shirt too, well-meaning if not a bit sarcastic.</p><p>“Possessive, aren’t we?” It would have been worrying, but Joshua’s smile was amused, and Jeonghan could clearly tell, because he smirked, booping Joshua’s nose with a fingertip.</p><p>“With a face like yours, how could I not be?”</p><p>“Oh, go on.”</p><p>“I could flatter you a lot, my darling Shua, but I’d rather you take your clothes off for me to do it and since you just got dressed…”</p><p>“I mean, it’s not even noon yet…” Joshua’s hands rose to the buttons of his shirt suggestively and Seungcheol just have snorted louder than he thought because two pairs of eyes turned to him, crinkled in mirth, familiar and affectionate.</p><p>“We woke the baby,” Jeonghan whispered loudly, leaning into Joshua’s ear, and Joshua held up a hand to his mouth in mock surprise, eyes wide.</p><p>“Oh dear. That’s not good. Should we get a bottle ready?”</p><p>“I’m not five, no matter how much Minghao likes to tell me I am,” Seungcheol groaned, sitting up and flopping over the back of his chair. (He’d never admit it, but he secretly loved getting pampered. As the oldest, how could he not?)</p><p>“Sleepy baby,” Joshua cooed, and that now-familiar flutter of...something appeared in Seungcheol’s chest, making him smile as he stood up, stretching his hands up to the ceiling with a satisfied groan.</p><p>“Yep. He’s baby. It’s confirmed,” Jeonghan laughed, and Seungcheol glared at him with no real heat, moving around the table to pinch his hip.</p><p>“You two are so mean to me,” he whined, and Jeonghan and Joshua exchanged another one of those sneaky smiles, reminding Seungcheol of a pair of conniving foxes.</p><p>“You’re just easy to tease, baby,” Jeonghan hummed, patting his stomach in a way that was only slightly patronizing. “Now, are we going to sit and finish the show we started last night or are we going to sit around all day doing nothing? I strongly suggest the latter.”</p><p>“I gotta feed Rasputin, but I can come back, if you want me to,” Joshua interjected, and both Seungcheol and Jeonghan nodded immediately. A glint of surprise entered Joshua’s eyes, as though he hadn’t expected them to answer so quickly in such a positive way, but it gave way to a smile, and he nodded back, the faintest of pink blushes dusting across his cheeks. Seungcheol wanted to grab him by the waist and kiss him silly, make that blush turn stronger.</p><p>Jeonghan beat him to the punch, as he did in most things, and as Seungcheol was following Joshua and Jeonghan to the entrance hall, Jeonghan snagged Joshua by the back of his collar, leaning in to kiss his cheek. “Come back quickly, ok? Otherwise we’ll miss you.” It was a little whiny, a little self-serving, but Jeonghan had always firmly believed in taking care of himself and his needs. Selfishness was not necessarily a bad word in his book, and Seungcheol admired him for it. Especially when it lead to giving Joshua kisses.</p><p>“Duly...noted,” Joshua mumbled, looking slightly dazed at the unexpected display of affection, eyes going slightly crossed as he tried to concentrate on how close Jeonghan was to him.</p><p>“You can even bring Rasputin over if you want,” Jeonghan offered, still standing oh-so-close, and Seungcheol’s heart was thumping hard in his chest for no reason at all, as if he was the one right in Joshua’s space, close enough for their lips to brush. They were so pretty, so beautiful, like two twin angels. Seungcheol’s brain was too lovestruck to come up with more poetic compliments.</p><p>“You’re sweet.” It was soft, and Seungcheol held his breath as Jeonghan and Joshua stared at each other, just...looking. The tension was thick, sitting heavily along Seungcheol’s bones, and suddenly he couldn’t take it.</p><p>“Oh my god, just kiss already,” he mumbled, as if they hadn’t totally devoured each other last night, and he took a step forward, put his hands on the backs of Jeonghan and Joshua’s heads, and lightly nudged them together, much to their surprise, if Jeonghan’s little squeak was anything to go by. “Your tension is so thick that I can cut it with a butterknife.” </p><p>“God, jealous much?” Jeonghan laughed, but he sounded more relaxed as he wrapped an arm around Joshua’s waist to kiss him again, the two of them smiling against each other’s lips.</p><p>“I’m waiting for my turn,” Seungcheol corrected, and when he pulled back Joshua’s cheeks were delightfully pink.</p><p>“Then come and get yours,” he invited, holding an arm out, and Seungcheol was happy to lean closer, all giddy and fizzy and effervescent in the pit of his stomach as Joshua’s lips pressed warmly against his. It was hardly their first kiss, but outside of bed, when they really had no reason to, this was something he’d been looking forward to since he first laid eyes on this ethereal silver-haired man.</p><p>And kissing him gently was better than Seungcheol ever thought it would be.</p><p>“I’ll be back super quick. If not, assume Rasputin murdered me and took my assets,” Joshua whispered, giving him one last placating peck and doing the same to Jeonghan before shoving his feet into his shoes. “I trust you’ll start an investigation?”</p><p>“With only the finest detectives,” Jeonghan assured, sticking his cheek out for one last kiss, which Joshua obliged him before slipping out the door, still pink-cheeked and beaming, and when the door shut, Seungcheol waited for a second or two before pumping his fist into the air with a whoop, and Jeonghan laughed, sounding slightly relieved, almost breathless.</p><p>“We did it!” he cheered, and Jeonghan gave him an exasperated smile, running a hand down his arm, but Seungcheol could see a bit of red on the tips of his ears, and he cooed, pinching Jeonghan’s cheek. “Aww, you liked it.”</p><p>“Of course I did, why wouldn’t I?” Jeonghan huffed, slapping his hand away and strutting off back down the hall, but Seungcheol could see him smiling, and he grinned, his steps bouncy with elation; he felt full of light and helium, all sunshiny and bright. Was he whipped? Absolutely. Did he care? Not at all.</p><p>Especially with Joshua’s promise to come back quickly. “Do you think we can get more kisses when he comes back?” he asked eagerly, draping himself over Jeonghan’s shoulders, and Jeonghan sent him another one of those amused smiles.</p><p>“I’m sure we will, Cheol.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>They definitely got more kisses, and as Joshua started to stay with them more and more, sometimes even bringing Rasputin over on lazy days, Seungcheol got used to having him around, got used to hooking a finger in one of Joshua’s belt loops to tug him into a kiss. Coming home after a long day and finding Jeonghan and Joshua making out on the couch became a commonplace sight, and one of his favorites.</p><p>By then, Joshua had become close friends with all of Seungcheol and Jeonghan’s inner circle, and the rest of them had to at least know something was going on, even if Seungcheol, Jeonghan, and Joshua hadn’t explicitly said anything yet. Seungcheol wanted to verbally confirm it before they said anything, but the right time hadn’t quite come up yet.</p><p>Still, it was helpful, and in little ways Joshua crept more and more into Seungcheol’s life. His clothes began popping up in Seungcheol’s closet and there was an extra toothbrush in both bathrooms and Rasputin’s fur could be found in every corner of the house. Jeonghan even bought cat food for him. At that point, Seungcheol would have been more confused if he woke up and there was suddenly no trace of Joshua in the house.</p><p>It also meant that editing was easier, and often Seungcheol would snuggle up with Joshua on the couch to talk and work and edit, the two of them occasionally exchanging a kiss if the conversation lulled. Sometimes, Joshua even accompanied Jeonghan on his modeling adventures, and kept Seungcheol company when Jeonghan had to take long trips.</p><p>In every way, Joshua had truly made a home for himself in Seungcheol and Jeonghan’s hearts, and Seungcheol hoped desperately that Joshua felt the same way about them that they did about him. They had wanted a third for so long and Joshua felt like a god-sent gift.</p><p>They were sitting in bed one evening, half under the covers with Joshua’s laptop open on his legs, and Jeonghan was sitting at the desk, glasses on, reading something quietly as Seungcheol and Joshua talked, voices low, hushed, cheeks pressed together. It felt startlingly intimate, and Seungcheol lived for it, for the closeness, for the feeling of Joshua against him. If Jeonghan had been on his other side, he would have been everything he needed.</p><p>“Y’know, I think we’re almost finished. Another hour and it’ll be ready for you to publish,” Seungcheol said softly, running his hand up and down Joshua’s leg, and Joshua was silent. It was his first book, the first he’d actually put enough time and work in to be published, and Seungcheol knew how great the feeling was.</p><p>“...You think so?”</p><p>“I mean, I’m your editor. I’d know. But yes, Shua. I really think you’re almost ready.”</p><p>“Then what the hell are we waiting for? Help me edit!”</p><p>Seungcheol laughed, but he had to oblige, and when he glanced at Jeonghan, the other man was still looking at his book, but he was smiling softly, and Seungcheol’s heart felt comfortably tight. God, he would do <em> anything </em> for them.</p><p>And as Joshua hit the enter button for the last time, holding his breath, excitement palpable in his eyes, Seungcheol beamed at him, wrapping both arms around his waist to give him a squeeze.</p><p>“See! You did it!” he whispered happily, and Joshua let out a slightly disbelieving laugh, turning to hug him tightly, warm and soft, fitting perfectly in Seungcheol’s arms. He smelled like their sheets and Seungcheol wanted to hold him forever.</p><p>“Now it’s just a matter of publishing, but that part’s easy after editing,” he hummed, and Joshua just kept smiling into his shoulder, nuzzling his neck, murmuring a soft <em> thank you </em> into the cotton of his shirt. “No, baby, don’t thank me, I love helping you. I’d edit everything for you if you wanted me to.” It came out painfully honest, and instead of saying anything else Joshua moved to kiss him, one hand cupping his cheek, the other holding tight to him, full of gratitude and all sort of warm-fuzzy-excited emotions, rattling around Seungcheol’s chest in waves.</p><p>“Han,” he called, without looking over his shoulder, and Jeonghan must have been watching the whole exchange because his hum of reply was swift and low and fond. “We should give Shua a reward for working so hard and finishing up his editing, don’t you think?”</p><p>“Couldn’t have put it better myself.” When Seungcheol glanced over his shoulder, he swore he must have salivated a little, because Jeonghan always looked the best in those round, thin-framed glasses, a benevolent smile on his face, planning something that Seungcheol would never be able to decipher, but something that would inevitably end up going well. Plus, watching him unbutton his shirt with one hand with practiced ease would always be one of Seungcheol’s biggest turn-ons.</p><p>“Alright, sweetheart, let’s get to pampering you. You did so well, working so hard,” he cooed, turning back to Joshua, who hurried to close his laptop and set it aside on the bedside table, letting Seungcheol work him out of his clothes as Jeonghan climbed onto the bed next to him, still smirking, eyes full of love and fire.</p><p>When he had Joshua divested of his clothes, lying bare on his bed, he took a moment or two to simply stare, still entranced even after so many times. He didn’t think he would ever not be amazed. He’d never stopped being amazed by Jeonghan either.</p><p>“So pretty,” he sighed, admiration flowing free in his voice, raking his eyes over Joshua’s tanned skin, so beautiful against their creamy white sheets. His smile turned sharper when Joshua sucked in a breath, stomach muscles tensing, but whether it was on purpose or simply involuntary, Jeonghan still made an appreciative noise, running his hand over the flat panes of muscle.</p><p>“God, you really are gorgeous,” he giggled, and Seungcheol nodded agreement, dipping his head to kiss down Joshua’s chest, eager to leave his marks, to show the world <em> this is mine too. No one else can have him. </em></p><p>Except for Jeonghan, of course, who claimed Joshua’s lips in a passionate kiss, needy and dominant all at once, as usual. Joshua’s legs twitched closed around Seungcheol’s waist, but Seungcheol tutted and gently pushed them apart again, still eager to take in the sight before him, a pretty angel on his bed. Two of them; he wondered what he’d done in a past life to get this, to be allowed to have this. It made him wonder, made molten curiosity flow from his fingertips as he traced aimless patterns onto the unmarked skin of Joshua’s inner thighs, eager to stain them with his teeth and tongue.</p><p>“Don’t forget you too. Hurry up and take your clothes off,” Joshua mumbled, panting against Jeonghan’s lips, melting like putty in their hands, draped so prettily against their bed like he belonged there. Seungcheol wished that he was as good of an artist as Minghao, because in that moment, with Joshua pink-cheeked and naked and beautiful, Seungcheol had never wanted to paint a picture more, hang in in the Louvre, show the world the real meaning of <em> beauty</em>.</p><p>When Jeonghan laid down beside him, equally as bare, sultry and coy and made of liquid grace, the urge only increased, and Seungcheol felt helplessly drawn to them, his heart flooding with poetry and pictures and <em> praise</em>, raw and heartfelt. If they had put some sort of spell on him, long ago when they first met, he didn’t even mind.</p><p>He stumbled into pulling off his clothes, not wanting to miss anything, and the brief seconds where his sight was obscured by his shirt were seconds Seungcheol would hate, but the sight of Jeonghan and Joshua kissing passionately would forever be burned into his mind as a moment of realization, a sudden clarity, almost a religious epiphany as he came to the conclusion that he was well and truly in love, in so deep that he couldn’t have left if he wanted to. He would devote his entire life to these men, even if it left him with nothing, without a second thought.</p><p>And the best part, Seungcheol thought to himself as Jeonghan and Joshua pulled him down into their kisses, was that they would do the same, he was sure. He just...knew it, in the way Jeonghan kissed him, so familiar but still so intense, in the way Joshua trailed little pecks down his neck, softer, needier. Seungcheol had always loved giving.</p><p>“You did such a good job, darling, working so diligently. What do you want tonight?” Jeonghan prompted, pulling back after sucking a dark mark onto Joshua’s neck, a stain, a claim, a flower that would only bloom in their presence. Seungcheol felt hot just looking at it, heat pooling between his legs at the suggestion of possession, the mere idea of knowing other people would see and know Joshua was <em> theirs</em>.</p><p>“Anything,” Joshua gasped, chest arching into Seungcheol’s lips as he trailed kisses down the compact muscle, unable to stop himself from worshipping Joshua’s body like he deserved, like the paragon of Greek beauty he was. “Anything, just- just touch me, <em> please</em>.”</p><p><em> Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, </em> Seungcheol’s mind supplied, set on a one-way track to a mantra of adoring praise, words that spilled out of his mouth in hushed torrents as he hurried to oblige, always ready to give and give and give until he couldn’t anymore, until Jeonghan and Joshua ran him dry and then kept taking. He was happy that way, because Jeonghan and Joshua would always give back, in little ways.</p><p>In the way Jeonghan brushed a hand down his back, calming some of the frantic eagerness in his body, in the way Joshua kissed him, more tender, less fervent. Right, they had all night, no rush. This was Joshua’s reward. Seungcheol wanted to make it good.</p><p>Consciously telling himself to relax a little, he trailed light kisses down Joshua’s chest, more fond than heated, preferring to soothe, to remind Joshua he was there, to convey a wordless <em> I love you, </em> something he hoped Joshua would understand. Judging by the gentle hand that threaded through his hair, Joshua got the message.</p><p>“Turn over, darling,” Jeonghan hummed, leaning down to nuzzle Joshua’s cheek, and Seungcheol moved out of the way as Jeonghan climbed onto the backs of Joshua’s thighs, hands pressing into the muscles of his back, kneading and massaging gently. Joshua groaned happily at the touch, melting into the sheets, and Seungcheol smiled, one hand absently petting Jeonghan’s hair, the other holding Joshua’s, content to watch, content to see his two lovers make each other gentle, made mellow from happiness and subtle pleasures, the air filled with languid desire. No rush, no need to go too fast, no desperation. Just the three of them, basking.</p><p>“You did so good, Shua, working all night, and now I can’t wait to make you feel good. Would you want me and Cheol to fuck you at the same time, hm? Fill up this pretty little thing?” Jeonghan’s voice was a seductive purr, and as he leaned down to whisper in Joshua’s ear, one hand giving his ass a firm squeeze, Seungcheol was once again reminded of the heat that swirled low and dormant inside his body, waiting to be fed and fueled.</p><p>“Anything,” Joshua said again, pressing into the touch, needy for them in ways Seungcheol melted for. “Anything, so long as it’s you two.”</p><p>Jeonghan glanced at Seungcheol, and the look in his eyes was clear, <em> this one is ours, I love him, I know you love him too. </em> Seungcheol didn’t even have to respond; Jeonghan turned back to Joshua and kissed down the knobs of his spine, one hand still firmly kneading his ass, and when Seungcheol caught a glimpse of his eyes he was reverent, full of righteous desire, and Seungcheol ached for him, for Joshua, for what they had. He was made to give, and he would give until he had nothing left.</p><p>“Cheol, grab the lube, darling,” Jeonghan said, a not-so-subtle order, and even Seungcheol shivered slightly as he slid off the bed to rummage through their dresser drawers, coming back with the half-full bottle of Joshua’s favorite coconut-scented lube and tossing it next to Jeonghan’s thigh. “Thank you. Shua, park this pretty ass in the air for me, hm? I’ll get you nice and open for me and Cheol.”</p><p>And honestly? Fuck Jeonghan for making dirty talk sound so good. So <em> promising</em>.</p><p>Seungcheol ran one hand down Joshua’s back as Jeonghan popped open the bottle of lube, smirking to himself, always a little smug like he’d achieved something big and grand and glorious, and Seungcheol just leaned in to kiss the mole on Joshua’s right shoulder, then the one below his ear, suddenly affectionate, wanting Joshua to know just how much he was loved, even if they’d never said it before.</p><p>“Deep breath, sweetheart,” he murmured, watching Jeonghan out of the corner of his eyes, fingers coated thickly in lube, running his fingertips teasingly over Joshua’s puckered hole, making him whine faintly and wiggle his hips back, and Seungcheol sent Jeonghan a raised eyebrow, expectant, <em> it’s his night, just give him what he wants, you tease. </em></p><p>Jeonghan chuckled, well-meaning, and leaned down to kiss the small of Joshua’s back as he pushed one finger slowly past Joshua’s rim, earning a soft sigh as Joshua arched into the pressure, pressing his chest deeper into the sheets, eyes closed, waiting for more.</p><p>“Ok?” Jeonghan prompted, gently sliding his finger in and out, more experimental than truly for pleasure, and Joshua nodded, reaching with one hand to pat Seungcheol’s knee, looking for another hand to hold, which Seungcheol happily provided him with, giving his hand a gentle, rewarding squeeze.</p><p>“You can add another, ‘s ok.” Jeonghan hummed acknowledgement, and with a bit more lube he guided a second finger in, still gentle, and Seungcheol watched, slightly entranced to see Joshua’s rim stretch around the knobs of Jeonghan’s knuckles, taking him so well, simply made to take pleasure, so Seungcheol told him as much, and Joshua moaned quietly, though whether it was from the words or from Jeonghan’s fingers Seungcheol would never be sure. Most likely both.</p><p>“You’re so soft inside,” Jeonghan commented lightly, and Joshua huffed out a weak laugh, opening his eyes to peer blearily at the headboard.</p><p>“That’s weird, Han.”</p><p>“Just pointing it out.” Jeonghan shrugged, still gentle, his voice oddly quiet, as though admiring a painting in a museum. Seungcheol knew the feeling. “Can I add another, baby?”</p><p>Again, Joshua nodded, and soon Jeonghan had four fingers smoothly thrusting in and out of Joshua’s rim, slick with lube and precum, the sounds obscene and yet so good at the same time. Seungcheol couldn’t tear his eyes away from Joshua if he wanted to; there was just to much to look at, from the flush on Joshua’s face, mouth hanging open as he moaned into his pillows, to the way he trembled and quivered and pushed back into Jeonghan’s touch, never quite getting what he wanted, and Jeonghan seemed stuck in a similar state of dazedness, licking his lips as he stared, some of the fierceness gone from his eyes, replaced by loving want, a low simmer of eagerness that Seungcheol wholeheartedly sympathized with.</p><p>“You ready, Shua? Think you can handle it now?” Seungcheol asked gently, having been leaving kisses up and down Joshua’s back and shoulders for the past 15 minutes, trying to ignore his own straining erection, gone ignored in favor of watching Joshua slowly come apart under Jeonghan’s thorough ministrations.</p><p>“Yes,” Joshua gasped, and his voice was like the sweetest melody to Seungcheol’s ears, breathy and lilting and wrecked. “Yes, yes, please, one of you hurry up and fuck me already!”</p><p>“Your wish is our command, darling,” Jeonghan cooed, pulling his fingers out, much to Joshua’s displeasure if his whine said anything. “Here, lie down, sweetheart, you must be tired of holding yourself up the whole time.” Carefully, Seungcheol and Jeonghan led Joshua down onto his side, facing Jeonghan, still panting shallowly, occasionally letting out a soft whimper if they brushed a sensitive spot. Seungcheol wanted to worship him, trace every perfect imperfection on his body, find every spot that would make him twitch and moan, make him feel better than he ever had.</p><p>“Please,” Joshua whispered again, groping behind him to pull Seungcheol closer by the hip, so delightfully breathless. Seungcheol oozed closer, eager to be as close as possible, kissing gently down Joshua’s neck, petting his side, murmuring soft, soothing words until Joshua’s breathing had steadied, until his heart rate had slowed a little.</p><p>“Breathe, Shua, this is all for you,” Jeonghan said quietly, eyes dripping honey, as though speaking to a most treasured photograph, a long-lost love that had come alive in front of him. “We have all night to make you feel good.”</p><p>“Then what are you waiting for?” Equally as soft, Joshua reached up to put a hand on Jeonghan’s cheeks, thumb rubbing a light trail back and forth under his eye, and Seungcheol squeezed Joshua’s hip gently, running a hand down the back of his thigh to push his leg over Jeonghan’s waist, nudging the two of them even closer.</p><p>“You’re so perfect, Shua, our perfect baby,” Jeonghan cooed, nuzzling into Joshua’s neck as he pressed inside, and judging by the satisfied groan Joshua let out, he agreed, somewhere close to self-serving, fully indulgent, just like he deserved.</p><p>“Good boy, good boy, just breathe,” Seungcheol coaxed, rubbing Joshua’s thigh, lifting himself up on his free arm to kiss down Joshua’s shoulder, whispering more adoring words to him, filled up with the need to shower Joshua in all the soft words he deserved, to tell him just how beautiful he was, how ethereal, how lovely, how gorgeous he was, spread out on the sheets just for them, golden skin sheened with sweat, eyes clouded with lust and want, taking Jeonghan so well.</p><p>When Jeonghan bottomed out, both him and Joshua panting shallowly, Seungcheol left one last kiss on the jut of Joshua’s shoulder before reaching over to rub Jeonghan’s hip rewardingly. “Look at you two, both being so good,” he murmured, and Jeonghan leveled him with a snarky grin, daring, taunting, working in wordless ways. <em> What are you waiting for? Your turn now. </em></p><p>“Cheol, please,” Joshua whimpered, more vocal, wonderfully so, the tones of his voice broken, shattered pieces of stained glass scattering the floor of a cathedral at Seungcheol’s knees, his own place of worship before Jeonghan and Joshua, laying offerings at the alter before their feet.</p><p>“Shh, baby, relax for me, ok? As much as you can.” Muttering the words against the back of Joshua’s neck, he groped for the forgotten bottle of lube, which Jeonghan handed him, and as he slicked up his fingers Seungcheol rubbed Joshua’s back with his free hand, kissing wherever his lips could touch, little wordless offerings.</p><p>Tracing his fingertips against Joshua’s already-filled rim had never been more satisfying, and he and Jeonghan gently shushed Joshua’s soft whines, cuddled close, whispering reverent things as Seungcheol carefully pushed one finger past, earning a hiss from both Jeonghan and Joshua.</p><p>“There we go, nice and open, just breathe,” Jeonghan cooed, but his voice was shaky, tremulous crimson and wobbly rose, a rubber band pulled taut, under just a little too much stress, and as Seungcheol pushed a second finger in he let out a quivering gasp, almost overshadowed by Joshua’s tense grunt of discomfort.</p><p>“I know, I know, it’s a lot, baby, but just breathe, just relax, I’ll stop if you want me to,” Seungcheol reminded, but Joshua glanced over his shoulder and his eyes were hot and dark and fiery, demanding what Seungcheol was so ready to give.</p><p>“Don’t you <em> dare </em> stop, Choi Seungcheol!” he hissed, and, cheeks flushed, hair mussed, shaking subtly, he looked like a force of nature, lightning and fragility and wind, someone Seungcheol would be happy admiring for the rest of his life, wanting, wanting, wanting. How had he gotten so lucky, he wondered.</p><p>Two fingers progressed to a third, then a fourth, then Seungcheol’s cock, pressed tightly against Joshua’s rim, and after so little stimulation after so long it already felt like too much, cotton and sparks in Seungcheol’s head, hanging on by a spider-silk thread. Joshua’s whimpers just made him feel heady and Jeonghan’s voice, low and husky as he swore, ignited a simmering blaze between Seungcheol’s legs, desperation fueled by need, by love, by something akin to wonder.</p><p>“You can take it, baby, just hold still,” Jeonghan urged in response to Joshua's helpless little whines, sounding as though he was very close to the edge himself, and if they lasted more than 10 minutes Seungcheol would be very surprised.</p><p>“Just- just little more- <em> fuck</em>,” Seungcheol swore tersely as he slid inside in one slow, slick slide, ripping the prettiest moan from Joshua’s lips and another harsh curse from Jeonghan’s lips, all of them clinging tightly to each other as Seungcheol stilled, trying so hard not to move; even the tiniest touch felt like too much, and Seungcheol couldn’t imagine how it must have felt for Joshua, to be on edge for so long, then to be filled up so much. He could see a sliver of Joshua’s expression and he looked raptured, mouth hanging open as he panted, eyes glazed with bliss.</p><p>“Please,” he whispered, and over his shoulder Seungcheol locked eyes with Jeonghan, who looked equally as wrecked, eyes wide, silently begging in a way he almost never, ever did. Jeonghan didn’t like eye contact.</p><p>Seungcheol had never been religious, but for this, for them, maybe he would write something reverent, something holy, fingertips tracing aimless sigils and patterns into Joshua’s body, into Jeonghan’s hips as he began to carefully pull out, pushing back in slow, gentle, groaning under his breath as tingling, white-hot pleasure spread through him, molten and burning in all the good ways.</p><p>Jeonghan’s hand grabbed for his, fingertips smooth and soft, and seconds later, Joshua’s hand wiggled in, callouses rough and familiar, almost a little ticklish, but Seungcheol held tight, so fond, so in love, mouthing kisses along the sweaty skin over Joshua’s neck, teething marks into the golden expanse, red-purple petals on golden ground, the stain of berry juice on golden cloth. Gold filled up Seungcheol’s mind, mixed with fine threads of silver, silky and smooth, and he held tight. It was all he could do.</p><p>When Jeonghan started moving, Joshua let out a noise that straddled a sob, raw and throaty and heartfelt, and Seungcheol and Jeonghan both gave his hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze, whispering loving words to him, lightheaded with pleasure, breathless as they showered their lover with adoration, eager to bring him release, to reward him, to show just how quickly he’d stolen into their hearts. <em> Ours, </em> Seungcheol thought dazedly, burying his face in Joshua’s neck, <em> so unbelievably lovely. </em></p><p>“Make me cum,” Joshua pleaded, and it was the only thing Seungcheol wanted to do, the easiest order he could have received. “Make me cum, please, ‘m so close, need you, please-”</p><p>“Shh, shh, baby, don’t worry, anything you want,” he whispered lovingly, giving his hand another gentle squeeze before pulling down to guide a hand over Joshua’s cock, slick with lube and precum, twitching hard in Seungcheol’s grip, and the noise that left Joshua’s throat made all the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, his body shivering as though he’d heard a piece of beautiful music, sending goosebumps down his arms despite how hot it was with all of them pressed close together.</p><p>“Cum, baby, cum for us,” Jeonghan coaxed, hot and breathy and laced with sugar, and that was it for Joshua, who curled up close against Jeonghan’s chest, hips jerking and stuttering of their own accord as he came over Seungcheol’s hand, crying out in the sweetest voice, mumbling their names as he rode out his high.</p><p>That must have been the tipping point for Jeonghan as well, because as Joshua’s walls squeezed, twitching hot and wet and soft around them, he hissed, pulling Joshua closer, kissing away his soft whimpers of oversensitivity.</p><p>“Fuck, baby, don’t worry, just a little more,” Jeonghan muttered under his breath, flushed and hazy-eyed, lower lip bitten red and plump between his teeth. “Fuck, ‘m gonna cum soon, just- just- fuck, like that, baby.” Joshua’s moans were slightly muffled as Jeonghan drew him into a messy, heated kiss, and Seungcheol held his breath at the sight, stunned into a lustful reverie, heart running mad inside his chest. He was so lucky, to have this.</p><p>Jeonghan came with a strained, breathy moan, tense and stiff before he melted into Joshua’s arms, filling him up with liquid heat, shallowly jerking his hips through his orgasm until he fell still, breathing heavily, nosing the bottom of Joshua’s jaw. He was always extremely affectionate after he was sated, and now was certainly no exception.</p><p>Against all his body’s wishes Seungcheol stilled, panting hard, trying not to move too much in case Jeonghan or Joshua got too uncomfortable, and with a mumble of warning Jeonghan pulled away, flopping onto his back, grinning at the ceiling, lazy and warm.</p><p>“You did so good, darling,” he cooed, rolling onto his side again to cup Joshua’s cheek. “Can you cum again for Cheol? One more time? I know you can, baby.”</p><p>“Y-yes, yes, just- please,” Joshua mumbled, craning his neck back to nuzzle into Seungcheol, who kissed his nose lightly, still adoring, still happily ready to write evidence of himself everywhere on Joshua’s body, to leave marks and stains and pray to gods he’d never prayed to before, eager to worship in the only way he knew how. “Let me be on my back.”</p><p>Seungcheol pulled out with a grunt, and Joshua moved onto his back, smiling softly, his eyes tired but accommodating, eager for more. “Can’t forget about you,” he hummed, voice low, syrup-smooth, flowing into Seungcheol’s ears like crushed velvet, all rich purple notes, soft and melodious and addicting. He could have listened to Joshua speak forever. “You can keep going now.”</p><p>A hushed, deferential <em> “I love you” </em> was right on the tip of Seungcheol's tongue as he pushed back in, drawing a hoarse groan from both of them, and it almost left his mouth, right on the tip of his tongue, but they were kissing before he could even register the words, lacing their hands together on the sheets, and it was so easy to lose himself in the feeling, mind wiped clean of anything but the two men before him, more lovely than anything any god could have come up with. He was so in love, and he wanted to say it, to paint Joshua and Jeonghan’s skin with the words, to let them know they were so, so <em> loved</em>.</p><p>“C’mon, my darlings, I want to see you both all nice and fucked-out,” Jeonghan encouraged, the tug of his voice like a siren’s call, flickering and pulling behind Seungcheol’s ribs, flooding the hollow spaces of his bones with light. It was so easy to let himself go when he knew exactly what he was falling into.</p><p>“Cum for Shua, Cheolie, make him feel good. You want to reward him, right?” Jeonghan purred, one hand rubbing down his back, the other lightly stroking Joshua’s cock, and Seungcheol nodded, a touch desperate, stuck on the sound of Joshua’s moans and Jeonghan’s voice. Jeonghan always had been good at multitasking, good at taking Joshua apart and concentrating on Seungcheol at the same time. A gift, he supposed.</p><p>Well, if he couldn’t confess out loud, he could at least whisper it into the marked-up skin of Joshua’s neck, pressing kisses to every spot he could reach as he came, his entire body shaking hard, and as Joshua came for the second time with a cute little squeak, tightening up again, Seungcheol groaned, all his nerves on fire, raw and open and reduced to nothing but instinct, and as gruesome as the thought was, he would happily pull apart his chest and offer his heart in his hands, make a sacrifice of his own body, his time, his energy, whatever he had. Jeonghan and Joshua were his everything, and he wanted them to know that.</p><p>“God, you’re-”<em> Everything. The light of my life. My love. The most beautiful man. Someone I would lay down my life for without a second thought. </em></p><p>“There we go,” Jeonghan chuckled, low and affectionate, and as one of his hands threaded through Seungcheol’s hair he closed his eyes, taking a couple seconds to just sit and breathe and collect himself, scattered at the edges, rubbed raw with emotion. Jeonghan always teased him for being the more emotional of the two, and he was, but Seungcheol felt he had a good reason to be.</p><p>“You did good,” he managed to bring to his lips, pressing the words into Joshua’s chest between light, soothing kisses. “So good. ‘M so proud of you.”</p><p>Joshua just hummed, looking right about to drift off, and Seungcheol felt himself smile, sitting up and pulling away delicately, and for a moment he just raked his eyes up and down Joshua’s body, over his face, memorizing every glorious detail, imprinting the image into his mind.</p><p>“Let’s go clean off, hm? Then we can cuddle.” Seungcheol nodded absently, then turned to look at Jeonghan, giving him the same deferential gaze, still as angelic as the day Seungcheol first set eyes on him. Jeonghan wasn’t looking at him, rather at Joshua, an impossibly fond smile on his face, slipping out from behind the mask of aloofness Jeonghan always wore out in the world. Seungcheol knew he would never find a pair of more beautiful men, and his heart ached in the best way.</p><p>“I’ll carry you. Do you feel ok, sweetheart?” he asked gently, moving to stand at the edge of the bed so he could pick Joshua up. Joshua nodded sluggishly as Jeonghan mumbled something about changing the sheets and joining them later, so Seungcheol carried Joshua to the shower, kissing the top of his head whenever he so felt like it, absolutely smitten.</p><p>“Mm...if you two reward me that way whenever I finish a book, then I’ll just have to write more books, hm?” Joshua chuckled tiredly, leaning against his chest as they waited for the water to warm up, and Seungcheol smiled, leaving another light kiss on Joshua’s lips.</p><p>“You thinking of writing a sequel? I think you could make it work.”</p><p>“...Maybe. Once I get the first one published. But let’s just hurry up so we can go to bed, ok? I wanna snuggle.”</p><p>Seungcheol laughed and hurried to oblige, slowly, lovingly cleaning every inch of Joshua’s skin, admiring the marks he and Jeonghan had left there, dotting Joshua’s body like little hidden claims, showing off who had touched him, who had made Joshua feel good.</p><p>True to his word, Jeonghan slipped in a few minutes later with all his liquid elegance, softened by tiredness and post-coital warmth, and Seungcheol leaned over to kiss him gently, hoping to convey his love without words. It must have worked because Jeonghan smiled against his lips, running a hand down his arm, and Joshua snuggled closer, taking their hands and pressing kisses to the backs of them. The little gesture was simple but sweet, and Seungcheol’s chest constricted with an aching fondness as he smiled at Joshua, moving to give him a kiss as well.</p><p>When they were clean and mostly dry, swaddled in their softest pyjamas, Seungcheol and Jeonghan sandwiched Joshua between them, hands laced over his hip, holding tight. Seungcheol left a light kiss on Joshua’s forehead and that was that as Joshua’s breathing evened, slowing and turning soft.</p><p>Still, it was a while before he or Jeonghan decided to speak, but when they did it was hushed, with all the careful respect of standing in a library, dulcet voices not quite close enough to speak comfortably. Seungcheol didn’t <em> dare </em> wake Joshua up on accident.</p><p>“...I love him,” he began softly, and Jeonghan’s hand squeezed his gently.</p><p>“I love him too. I love you as well.”</p><p>“...I love you too. I love both of you so much. Do you think we should...tell him?”</p><p>“...Perhaps in the morning, my love. He’s definitely had a tiring night.”</p><p>Seungcheol tried his hardest not to laugh, but if he muffled a chuckle in Joshua’s hair, no one but Jeonghan had to be any the wiser.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Seungcheol woke up to warmth and softness and silence, still draped in the comforting atmosphere of sleep, and he sighed happily, adjusting his arm over Joshua’s waist, reconnecting his and Jeonghan’s hands, which must have moved away during the night.</p><p>“Good morning,” Jeonghan murmured, which surprised him a little. Was he already awake? That was rare.</p><p>“Morning,” he hummed back, and Jeonghan’s hand slipped away from his to rub Joshua’s side, slow, soothing, contemplative. Seungcheol did the same to his back and Joshua snuggled more contentedly between them. Adorable.</p><p>“Can we keep him?” Jeonghan asked softly, without opening his eyes, and Seungcheol hummed.</p><p>“...If he lets us.”</p><p>For a while, Seungcheol didn’t know how long, they just laid there, cuddled close, breathing deep and slow, still savouring the dregs of a comfortable sleep. Rasputin was probably still napping, so they had time before they inevitably needed to get up and feed him before his incessant meowing woke the whole neighborhood.</p><p>When Joshua finally stirred it was with one of his characteristically cute noises, half a groan and half a sigh as he stretched all his limbs out, more cat-like than ever, before settling back close to Seungcheol’s chest, opening his eyes slowly.</p><p>“Good morning, beautiful,” Seungcheol greeted fondly, petting the back of Joshua’s head, and Jeonghan leaned closer to smooch between Joshua’s shoulder blades. “Have a good sleep?”</p><p>“I heard you last night,” Joshua said instead of answering. “When you said you loved me.”</p><p>Seungcheol’s hand froze. Oh. Oh boy.</p><p>“...You could have said it to my face; I would have accepted,” Joshua continued, looking up to grin at him, cocky but mostly amused, and Seungcheol’s heart tentatively started to beat again. “I love you too. Both of you.” That sent his heart into overdrive, and before Seungcheol could do something stupid like smother Joshua to death in kisses, Jeonghan rose much more elegantly onto his arms, hovering over Joshua, smiling.</p><p>“Well, to be formal, I love you. We both love you. Would you like to be our boyfriend?” he asked simply, and when Joshua nodded, reaching up to pull Jeonghan into a kiss, smiling gently. Seungcheol felt giddy, full of bubbles and sunshine, and he wanted to pick Joshua up and twirl him around the room, singing his praises to the stars. Would that be too much?</p><p>He was convinced that nothing would ever be too much when Joshua turned to him with that same soft smile, gently teasing, expectant. <em> Well? What do you say? </em></p><p>Seungcheol just surged forward to kiss him, murmuring more confessions of love against his lips, almost relieved now that he could hold Joshua close and finally say how much he loved him out loud. He never knew how glad he would be to finally be able to do that.</p><p>“I was going to comment on it, before we went to sleep,” Joshua mumbled, nuzzling his cheek, “but then I fell asleep.”</p><p>“That does sound like you,” Jeonghan chuckled, laying back down behind Joshua, snuggling him close. “Now, shall we keep napping? I’d love to spend a nice, slow morning waking up with my boyfriends.”</p><p>Boyfriends. Plural. The word sent little cheesy flickers of electricity through Seungcheol’s veins, and he couldn’t stop smiling as he snuggled Joshua close to his chest, determined to never let go. <em> Lucky, </em> his mind told him, <em> you’re so lucky to have this. </em>He knew that very well.</p><p>“Relax, before you self-destruct. I’m not going anywhere,” Joshua laughed, petting his hair, so gentle, so loving. </p><p>“I love you,” he whispered, just because he could, and Joshua smiled; even if he couldn’t see Joshua’s face, Seungcheol could just...tell. Jeonghan even let out a soft little laugh, endeared, and they settled back down, fit together like three pieces of a puzzle, ready to rest and relax a little more now that they knew where they stood.</p><p>...At least until Rasputin’s ear-splitting meows shattered the comfortable silence, and Joshua laughed the hardest out of the three of them, patting Seungcheol’s bicep.</p><p>“C’mon, loverboy, help me feed the baby,” he encouraged, sitting up with a yawn, and honestly? Seungcheol couldn’t even bring himself to mind.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>me, on my tenderhorny bullshit again: heehoo soft,,,,,,tender hand holding,,,,,its slow cause theyre in love your honor,,,,,cheol and han love shua so much and he loves them too,,,,,heheh gentle lovemaking,,,,,,,,,,,gENtle,,cheol's a romantic boye,,,,hhhhhhhpoetic lust,,,they love each other sm,,,,h</p><p> </p><p>yell at me on <a href="https://twitter.com/SandyRoses6">twt</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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